Guardian Angel
by Kin Siofra
Summary: AU of an AU: Lovino has been alone for so many years. Not only that, but he has been working as a prostitute for 5 years, not that he has a choice in the matter. After an unexpected visit, he's kidnapped by that person. that man... is Antonio Fernandez Carriedo
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This story is dedicated to a friend who is going through a rough patch right now. I hope all of you enjoy it though~!

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><p><em>Let me tell you of someone who I've considered to be my guardian angel. He may have been the most annoying person in the world and he was always too happy about everything and also oblivious to most things around him…but he wasn't like other people I had met. He… was so much different. This is that story.<em>

0-0-0

"Get back to work!" a voice boomed loudly in a small storage room. The man was tall with muscles bulging from his arms, seeming like it was going to tear apart his dark brown, short sleeve shirt as he held a large crate in his arms. "I'm not paying you to slack off!"

"I know," a sigh came from a thin young man with dark auburn hair, a single curl on the top of his head. His outfit was a long sleeve cream shirt with slightly baggy black pants. His shoes, however, were ridden with holes to the point it seemed like they could be sandals in shoes.

"Then get back to work, Lovino!" the taller man's voice commanded before he walked out of sight. The young Italian with auburn hair sighed as he continued on with what he was doing. Yeah… working in this place was the worse thing he could _ever_ experience in his life.

"Hey, sweet thing!" a man cooed towards Lovino with a beer in his hand that was to the point of being warm and incapable to drink by anyone, or at least to Lovino's standards. The thick black locks were arranged messily on his head, along with his two friends. "Get your ass over here and give us some attention!"

Lovino cringed with disgust as he heard this. It made his stomach churn to the point he could throw up, even though he should be used to this kind of thing after 5 years. Lovino tried to give a smile that was good, but it failed miserably and only sent the man into laughter again.

"I-I'll be r-right with y-you," Lovino heard himself saying as he continued to walk to a corner with a tray in his hands, shaking nervously ever so slightly and letting the glass items on the tray to rattle a bit.

That corner was the most dreadful thing to him. That _man_ once again sat there, staring at him, looking him from head to toe while licking his dry, chapped lips. That man was the tax collector of the militia that ran the city and he was here almost every week. His dark red hair lay neatly under a black military hat that matched his black military outfit. Lovino shakily stopped at the table, placing a small glass with ice and a bottle of champagne onto the table in front of the man. A glint from the man's violet orbs shot at Lovino, making the Italian even _more_ nervous.

"E-Enjoy y-your d-drink," Lovino stuttered again before walking off and getting more beer for the other man, which, frankly, made him more relaxed since the man had been there several times before and he had never done anything damaging to him.

"Thanks Lovino!" the man cried as he slapped the fair skinned Lovino on the back, making the Italian cringe from being hit too hard.

"Welcome…" Lovino mumbled as he walked into the back to get more drinks out for other customers that may come in.

By the end of the day, Lovino's hopes had risen a bit at the thought of being able to go to bed alone tonight. To get some much needed rest for the day to come all came shattering down on him as he heard his boss speak those words he utterly despised to hear. Those words that, to Lovino, were twisted with malice and satisfaction of being able to get money from using Lovino like he always did.

"You have a customer for the night." Those words made his heart sink to his stomach where he swore it got twisted in with his innards.

_Why is it always me?_ Lovino asked in thought as he saw that man strutting up to him with lust filled violet eyes. That military man that wanted nothing more than to satisfy his own cravings by using his body to do so. Lovino hated this life that was placed upon him. His entire family was dead after the war that occurred 6 years earlier to his lifestyle now. 1 year wondering the streets after the war and 5 years being in this place.

That man looked down at Lovino with a sinful look as he licked his dry chapped lips again. "Shall we?" he asked in a dark and sinister tone as he wrapped an arm around Lovino's waist to bring them closer. Lovino trembled as the man towered over him. He could feel the man's excitement as his body was placed against the man's.

Of course, Lovino couldn't refuse. He had to accept otherwise be thrown out into the streets. The Italian only nodded to the man's question before he slowly lead the man to his quarters. That unholy place that he had been defiled so many times before with its pure black walls with black curtains hanging over the window. The pure white sheets strewn on the mattress on the dark cherry oak bed and only a nightstand and small dresser completing the ensemble to the rather large room.

Too many times had he been in this room where random people used him for their own pleasures. Of course, all of them had to be single to do so, but that was the only upside and it was only a small one at that. This room of his wasn't a room at all. It was a torture chamber that had been placed upon him. He wasn't just a prostitute. No. He was a prostitute slave. He learned that the first time he tried to escape from this horrid place. There was only him and two other people living there as slaves and then the owner.

Lovino wished that all of this would just end. He hated this life and would kill himself if he could but he could never bring himself to do so. How he wished he could go back to the way his life was so many years ago. How he wanted to be with his family. To, once again, see his little brother's smiling face looking up at him with a ringlet of flowers to place on his head. And, for once, how he wanted his little brother to hug him. Of course, none of that would happen. All of them were gone. Dead. It only made things worse when there was a shortage of women in town, whom almost all have been married.

"Now then…" the man smirked as he grabbed Lovino and shoved him onto the bed, making the Italian shake heavily again as he looked up into sinister violet eyes. "Let's get start… shall we?"


	2. Chapter 2

Lovino groaned as he woke up the next morning alone. He didn't remember _when _he had fallen asleep, but the pain radiating from his hips and butt told him that dream was true. He had really hoped all of that was just a dream but that hope was shattered once again. Lovino sighed as he got out of bed, keeping the blanket around him until he could get some clothes. No break for him again today. Even if he was in pain he _still_ had to work in the restaurant bar to please customers. That's just who his boss was. Greedy. His boss would rather make money than care about his own employees' health. Of course, most of the time it was just Lovino who was in so much pain, all because he was the youngest. He was a 21 year old man while the other two were 28 and 30. No one wants them.

"Lovino, get your ass out here now!" he could hear the voice of his boss boom, making his stomach knot again.

"B-Be right there…" Lovino heard himself stutter as he quickly, yet painfully, made it to his dresser, placed some clothes on, and walked out of the room. He walked down the corridor to where he saw his boss standing, foot tapping with impatience.

"Finally," the boss said as he grabbed Lovino by the arm and pointed out into the restaurant. "You see that man over there Lovino?" Lovino looked over to where his boss was pointing and nodded. "That man there is a pirate."

"W-What?" Lovino felt his throat tighten up as he heard those words. He had heard about pirates from his grandfather when he was younger. They _were_ the government. They would travel around to different areas to make sure things were running smoothly around that area.

"A pirate," his boss repeated as he looked down at Lovino with stern looking eyes. "I want you to tend to his every need. The other two will take care of the others when you are dealing with him, so make sure you don't disappoint me." Lovino gulped but nodded in reply before he was shoved in the direction of the man.

As Lovino got closer, he could see that the pirate had curly brown hair and emerald eyes. The man also wore a long sleeve white shirt, the collar in a v-shape and showing some of his chest, and tight black pants. A black feather hat and red jacket embroidered with gold were sitting on the back of the chair.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Lovino said as he walked up to the man. It hurt to walk really fast but he knew he had to just bare with it like he always did. "What can I get you?" The man looked up at Lovino with those emerald orbs before smiling.

"Some Bordeaux wine if you have any~" he replied cheerfully. "If you don't have that then some other kind of wine will suffice~" Lovino nodded as he turned on his heel and walked towards the bar. He searched for the wine the man wanted but couldn't find any, so he went with some Burgundy wine instead. He got a glass and walked back over to the table. Lovino hated to admit it, but his walking wasn't exactly _normal, _which made him feel even worse than before. He remembered last night and it made him shutter with disgust.

"H-Here is your drink s-sir," Lovino stuttered, mentally kicking him self for being scared suddenly. The man looked up at Lovino with a serious look before smiling.

"Why don't you sit down with me~?" he asked as he pulled out a chair and patted on it since it was next to him now. Lovino looked at the man before slightly seeing the stern look of his boss telling him to do it. Lovino sighed.

"Fine…" he grumbled as he sat down on the wooden chair, a sharp pain radiating throughout his entire lower area. Lovino's face scrunched up a bit at it but it went away after a few seconds. He was used to pretending that nothing was wrong with him even though there was. He was used to this kind of thing after all.

"What's your name?"

"Lovino Vargas."

"Aw~ That's a nice name~!"

"I guess…" Lovino mumbled as he kept his gaze from the man, even though he could see the man staring at him.

"My name's Antonio Fernandez Carriedo~ It's nice to meet you Lovi~!"

"M-My name's Lovino."

Antonio pouted, lips pursing up and eyes narrowing. "Aw… but I want to call you Lovi…"

"And I don't want you to call me that." Antonio sighed.

"Alright, you win," he commented before holding out his glass. "Pour me some wine por favor~" By this time, Antonio was leaning with his elbow on the table and the side of his face resting on his hand.

"F-Fine…" Lovino sighed as he took the bottle of wine and poured some into the glass that Antonio was holding, filling it up half-way.

"Gracias~" Antonio thanked before drinking some of it. "How old are you Lovino?" Lovino slightly looked over at Antonio, a slightly stern look on his face.

"Why should I tell you?" he asked sternly.

"I'm just making conversation~" Antonio cooed.

Lovino sighed. "21…"

"Aw~ You look so much younger than that~" Lovino saw the bright shimmer in Antonio's eyes as he looked at him. This, somehow, caused Lovino to slightly blush.

"S-So what?"

"Nothing, just making an observation~" Antonio went back to drinking the wine in his glass. After a few minutes, Lovino stood up. "W-Where are you going?"

"I have to get back to work," Lovino stated as he turned around. "Call me if you need anything." Lovino walked off to take care of another table, leaving Antonio to just stare for a few minutes before returning to drinking his wine.

0-0-0

Lovino sighed as the restaurant started closing down for the night. He felt exhausted from not only the pain he was trying to hold back but from Antonio calling him over and asking different things of him. Now it was done for the day. He didn't have to deal with that pirate anymore.

"Lovino, you have a customer again tonight," his boss commented those dreaded words again. Lovino internally groaned as he turned to see him.

"Hola~" Antonio greeted the Italian with a bright cheery smile. Lovino shuddered as he saw Antonio standing there.

_Oh…God… Fuck no!_ Lovino complained in thought as he looked up at Antonio like he had seen a ghost. Before he knew it, Antonio had picked him up bridal style and started walking. It took Lovino a few minutes to actually understand what was going on.

"W-w-What are you doing!" Lovino exclaimed, his face red as he was being carried.

"Carrying you," Antonio replied, looking down at Lovino with slight confusion. "Why do you ask?"

"I-I can walk on my own!"

"Hm… but it hurts to walk, doesn't it?" Lovino slightly froze at this. He didn't think that anyone noticed that he was in pain, so how did Antonio figure it out? Antonio softly chuckled. "That's what I thought~" Lovino was silent as he sighed, guiding Antonio to his room. Once they were there, Antonio set Lovino down on the bed. Lovino cringed in disgust as he didn't have time to change his sheets that morning. "You want me to change the sheets~?"

Lovino had a look of stern confusion on his face. Why the hell was Antonio being so nice to him? However, he still found himself nodding in reply. Antonio nodded as he scooped Lovino off the bed and gently laid him on the floor before he quickly changed the sheets and placed the Italian back on it.

"Comfy?" Antonio asked as he hovered over Lovino's head.

"Ah… S-Si…." Lovino staggered in reply. Antonio nodded. As Lovino felt the bed move, he shut his eyes in fear of what was to come. Of course, the movement stopped almost immediately. Lovino's eyes slowly opened before laying eyes upon the sleeping Spaniard next to him. Now he was even more confused than he had been before.

_W-Wait… what's…?_ Lovino tried to understand what Antonio was trying to do. Lovino sighed, deciding to ignore it. Within seconds of closing his eyes, he had completely fallen asleep. It felt nice to just rest for once. It felt just like when he was a child, sleeping in the same room as his grandfather when he was scared of something. That brought back so many comforting memories for him.

It felt so nice.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thank you _everyone_ for your support for this story~! You have _no_ idea how happy that makes me right now~! Here is the third chapter for your enjoyment. Chapters will get longer and longer as they go just FYI.

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><p>Lovino's amber eyes slowly opened to find himself in a room that was not his own. He sat up, only feeling a bit of pain in the lower half of his body this time around. He looked around the room to see that it was entirely made out of wood, along with the furniture. There was a large table to one side of the room with a chair, though it was hard to tell that it even <em>was<em> a table with how much stuff was scattered on the top of it. Maps, compasses, notebooks, the red jacket Lovino saw Antonio wearing…

_Wait._ Lovino thought as he looked back over at the red jacket that was lying there. His eyes widened a bit as it finally clicked in his mind. Antonio Fernandez Carriedo had _kidnapped_ him. Lovino sat there in complete shock, staring at the jacket with wide eyes.

_W-What the fucking hell!_ Lovino yelled in thought as he started to panic. He had been kidnapped by a man of the government! Lovino felt everything spin before he fell unconscious again from being confused and too shocked to try and think.

When he woke up again, he still found himself in that room, but it seems like the room had gotten brighter than it had been before. Lovino groaned as he sat up, holding his head from it pounding heavily.

"Afternoon Lovi~" a familiar Spanish voice sang, making Lovino flinch and looked around the room until he saw Antonio looking at him as he sat at his chair. Lovino was silent as he glared at Antonio who pouted. "What's with the look?"

"You fucking kidnapped me!" Lovino finally shouted angrily. "What kind of person kidnaps someone!"

Antonio sighed as he stood up, a hand being placed on his hip as his jacket laid across his shoulders. "I thought you would've been grateful getting out of a place like that," he retorted with a bit of a pout still on his face.

"W-Well… I-I…" Lovino had no idea what to say to that comment. It _was_ true that he wanted to get out of that place, but he wasn't expecting to be kidnapped while he was asleep.

"Anyways," Antonio began, deciding to change the subject. "You must've been really tired. You've been sleeping for 2 days now." This statement only caused Lovino's face to pale.

"T-Two…days…?" he asked to confirm if he had heard that right. Antonio nodded, making Lovino pale even more. He shook it off and, before he could move very far, Antonio pinned him down onto the bed, making the Italian blush like a madman. "W-W-W-What t-t-the hell!"

"You almost squished Chiquito." Lovino looked up at Antonio with confusion, the blush from his face disappearing as quickly as it came.

"Chi…qui…gui….to?" Antonio nodded as he lifted up the sheets before picking up a small green turtle.

"Chiquito~" Antonio smiled as he held the small animal out to Lovino. "He's my pet~!" Lovino stared at the turtle being held out in front of his face.

"You have a turtle... for a pet?"

"Si~" Antonio replied brightly as he set the turtle into its home. "Anyways…" Antonio turned the chair he had been sitting in around and sat in it, folding his arms and looking at Lovino. "…You _really_ want to know the reason I kidnapped you?" Lovino nodded. "Well, I received a letter from someone named Feliciano a week ago."

_Felici…ano…?_ Lovino asked in thought as he heard the familiar name of his brother. He shook it off; it was probably just a coincidence.

"So, I read it and this is what it said, 'Dear Mr. Antonio. If you could, I would appreciate it if you could find my older brother Lovino Vargas.' It also included this picture." Antonio pulled out a small picture from his pocket and held it up so Lovino could see, only to see the Italian's eyes wide in surprise. Lovino shook as he shakily stood up and walked over to Antonio, gently taking the picture from the Spaniard's fingers.

_It... can't…be…_ Lovino thought as he stared with wide amber orbs at the picture. It was a picture of him and his family when he was 14 years old. He was standing near his grandfather while his brother stood on the other side of him. Then it was their mother and then their father.

"So, when Feliciano asked that I find you, I agreed," Antonio continued on without waiting for Lovino to make a reply. "Feliciano said he couldn't really remember where you were but he knew where you were born and he figured you might still be here."

Lovino tried to speak, but only shaky squeaks escaped his lips. He was so relieved to know that at least someone in his family was alive still. He was so relieved that tears started flowing down his face without him realizing it.

"Ah…. L-Lovi?" Antonio asked a bit scared that he had done something wrong. "Y-You alright?"

"I…I'm fine…" Lovino replied in a stutter as he dropped his head so Antonio couldn't see his face anymore. He knew his eyes were probably already red and puffy from how much he was crying.

Lovino hadn't cried this much for several years. Sure, he had cried from being defiled so many times before, but that was out of pure agony and those were only a few stray tears that happened to slip out. However, now, he felt so much relief that he could see his brother again, so much relief to be out of that place that he didn't know how to take it other than crying.

Antonio stared at Lovino as he saw him shake before smiling and standing up. "I'm taking you to your brother," he commented as he patted Lovino's head. Lovino looked up at Antonio with tear filled eyes.

"You…are…?" he asked, not believing what he was hearing. Not only was he getting away from that place but he would be able to be with his brother.

"Si~" Antonio smiled as he headed towards the door. "I'll have someone bring you some food and water. I have some things I need to attend to." With that, Antonio walked out of the room. Lovino sighed as he sat back down on the bed, staring at the picture still in his hands. He had lost his three years ago and he couldn't remember _where_ he had lost it, but he was still glad. He wasn't alone.

0-0-0

It had been an hour since Antonio had left and said that someone would bring him food. Lovino sighed as he laid on the bed, staring up at the ceiling from pure boredom and hunger. His stomach, for the tenth time, growled loudly, making Lovino groan.

"Hungry…" he complained out loud as he placed an arm over his eyes. He swore he was going to go crazy if he hadn't heard the door open. Lovino moved his arm and saw a tall man with shoulder length slightly wavy blond hair that was tied into a small ponytail walked in. He wore a tan shirt that was covered by a turquoise blue long jacket and slightly tight white pants and light brown boots that the pants were tucked into. A black hat with blue ribbons on it sat on top of the man's head.

"Bonjour mon petit," the man greeted with a French accent. Lovino sat up as he saw the man carrying a tray with food on it. Lovino wasn't sure _what_ the food was, but it did look really good. "Francis Bonnefoy is my name." Lovino stared at the man before nodding.

"L-Lovino Vargas…" he mumbled as he slightly looked away from Francis who only laughed before walking over and setting the tray in front of Lovino. "Thanks…"

"You're very welcome mon petit." Lovino sighed as he glared up at Francis who made himself comfortable in Antonio's chair before looking down at the food in front of him. It looked so good. The food contained white rice, green vegetables, some kind of meat that Lovino was unfamiliar with, some other thing Lovino was, once again, unfamiliar with, beans and seasoning.

Lovino said a soft prayer before picking up the fork that was given to him and started eating. The food seemed to melt inside the Italian's mouth as he ate. It had been a long time since he had anything _this_ good. Back at that hell hole, Lovino normally only got two meals with consisted of a small sandwich and soup. The only times he got high grade food was when he brought his boss enough money. Thinking about that made Lovino's stomach knot again. He wasn't there anymore so he should stop thinking about it, but there was something nagging at him in the back of his mind, as if he had forgotten something important.

Lovino slowed the pace of his eating as he thought what it was he could have forgotten, but Francis had sharp eyes and was able to notice this change right away. However, the Frenchman didn't do anything. He just watched Lovino eating in his slow manner with that constant look of worry on his face.

Once Lovino was done, Francis stood from the chair and walked over, picking up the tray. "Is something the matter?" he finally asked Lovino as he stood there. Lovino looked up at Francis.

"Not really…" Lovino replied.

"Hm…? Are you sure mon petit?"

"Yes." Lovino didn't want to talk about his problems with someone he just met, not to mention there was something about the Frenchman that Lovino didn't like very much.

"Are you sure?" Francis asked. "Something seems to be troubling you."

"I said I was fine," Lovino growled, glaring at Francis. But, before he knew it, Francis was pinning him down on the bed, staring down at him with ocean blue eyes. Lovino's fears instantly surfaced and his body started to tremble heavily from being in this position.

"I've already been told what you used to be," Francis commented. "I don't think you want to be lying to me at this point." Lovino felt his body trembling even more as he saw the devilish look on Francis' ivory face. Squeaks were the only thing that came out of Lovino's mouth as he tried to talk. As a hand slowly slid up Lovino's shirt, Lovino shut his eyes.

_It's… happening again,_ Lovino thought. Even though he was away from that place now, it would happen to him again here.

"FRANCIS!" a voice yelled as the door slammed open, causing Francis to jump to his feet. Lovino shakily looked over at the door and, there, stood Antonio with an angry look on his face.

"O-Oui mon ami?" Francis asked a bit nervously. He knew that Antonio could be _very_ scary when he was angry about something and that was _not_ something he liked seeing.

"I thought I told you to come back out the minute Lovino was done eating."

"Oui. You did say that. Sorry." Francis quickly picked up the tray from the table and headed out the door once Antonio was out of the way. Lovino turned away from Antonio, curling up a bit and hugging himself. He was still shaking heavily from what had just happened and the look on Antonio's face before didn't help either.

"You alright Lovi?" Antonio asked in a gentle, caring manner as he closed the door behind him and walked over to the shaking Italian.

"I-I'm-m… f-fine…" Lovino stuttered the shakiness of his voice showing through heavily. Antonio looked down at Lovino with concern. He hadn't seen Lovino like this at all.

"You sure?" Antonio asked as he sat on the edge of the bed. Lovino shakily nodded, not turning towards Antonio at all. Antonio sighed as he stood back up. "Ah! I just remember something!" Antonio walked over to a small bag on the table before setting it in front of Lovino. "Theses are some of your things." With that being said, Antonio walked back out of the room.

Lovino opened his amber eyes again as he stared at the small dingy black bag in front of him. After a few minutes of just staring, Lovino shakily reached out and opened it, his eyes widening. Inside were a few of the things he had treasured dearly since the war. A rare crystal cross necklace with rosary beads that his grandfather had given him, a small seashell that his little brother had given to him for a birthday present one year when they were kids, and a pair of earrings that were his mother's that he found after the war. All of these had been precious to him and he was glad to have them. He closed the bag and held it close to him. He would have to thank Antonio later for bringing these but, for now, he would sleep. Sleep until he woke up without much concern.


	4. Chapter 4

"You want… me to wear this?" Lovino asked sternly as he looked at the clothes that Antonio was holding out to him.

"Si~ I do~" Antonio sang happily. Lovino stared at the outfit. A white tank top lined with red trimming with a white and black jacket that only seemed to go down to the rib cage, dark brown slightly tight pants, a red belt part that was held with an actually dark brown belt.

"And what if I refuse?"

"Then you can go walking around in the outfit you're in already. Though I don't think you want to go around in your pajamas~" Lovino blushed as he looked down at the tan colored pajamas he was wearing, knowing Antonio was right.

"F-Fine…" Lovino grumbled as he took the outfit. Antonio chuckled with a smile as he walked out of the room to give Lovino some privacy. Antonio looked around the deck before spotting Francis and walking up to his French friend.

"Francis!" Antonio called as he walked over. The blond slowly turned towards Antonio, a look of dread plastered on Francis' face. He knew something bad was going to happen to him after that incident yesterday with Lovino.

"Oui?" Francis asked, trying to sound as casual as possible as his friend walked up to him with a slightly serious expression on his face.

"I need to talk to you about yesterday's incident." Yup, just as Francis had thought. Francis nodded before following his friend to the upper deck where no one could really hear them. Antonio spun around and stared at Francis with emerald orbs. "Francis, when you were molesting Lovino like that, do you remember seeing him shaking?"

Francis stared at Antonio with slight confusion before thinking for a few minutes. "No, I didn't see him shaking," he replied with all honesty. Antonio sighed and shook his head as he pulled out a file and handed it to Francis. "What's this?"

"The file that man had about Lovino."

"You stole it!" Francis was surprised how bluntly Antonio could say that statement. He may have seen Antonio steal something before, but it wasn't anything like this, and normally when the Spaniard stole it was for a good reason. This, however, didn't seem like one.

"Si~" Antonio smiled brightly at that. Francis sighed, wondering sometimes how Antonio could be so oblivious to a lot of things. Francis shrugged it off as he opened up the file.

"'Lovino Vargas…'" Francis began to softly repeat the things that were inside. "'Age 21. Italian. Prostitute.'" Francis stopped reading as he looked up at Antonio. "What's so different about everything you've already told me?"

"Well…" Antonio began as he pulled out a magnifying glass from who-knows-where and handed it to Francis as he pointed to some small writing that was next to 'Prostitute.' Francis carefully laid the glass over it as he read the word 'slave.'

"What about it?" Francis asked as he looked back up at his Spanish friend, not really understanding where he was going with all of this.

"Lovino wasn't any prostitute Francis. He was a Prostitute Slave meaning that he was forced to have to stay in that place." A pained expression seemed to cross Francis' face as he heard this. If he had known about that, he never would have tried to make Lovino talk to him by his actions.

"I see…" Francis handed the glass back to Antonio as he continued to read what was behind the first page of basic information. He was a bit surprised to see that there were a few journal entries behind it, but it sparked his interest and began to read.

'_March 12__th__,_

_Today Lovino Vargas tried to escape from me but don't worry, I tracked him down and made sure that he couldn't escape from me again. Oh yes did I drill it into his head about running away from me. That little shit should be grateful that I even let him work for me. When I found him he was beaten, bruised, and looked like he hadn't eaten anything decent in months. It's only been a month since he's been here and already Lovino is trying to escape._

_I taught him a lesson though. Oh yes did I teach him a lesson that he would never forget.'_

The more Francis read the worse he felt about what he had done. Sure, people were used to him acting like that with most people, even Antonio who seemed completely fine with it. Though everyone knew the Spaniard was just oblivious or used to Francis doing that to him since they were friends. If Francis had learned all of this yesterday, he never would have done that to the Italian.

"You understand now Francis?" Antonio asked, his voice gentler as he saw the color of his friend's face leaving his face the more he read. Francis finally placed the papers back into the file and closed it, nodding.

"Oui…. I understand…"

"Good… I want you to apologize to Lovi and make it up to him." Francis nodded, knowing that Antonio was right. He _did_ need to make it up to Lovino. This time it was _he_ who had been oblivious to the Italian's actions. It was _he_ who didn't notice when he normally had the sharpest eyes on the ship. Antonio smiled as he took the file back from Francis before waving and walking off, leaving the Frenchman to stand there and contemplate on his own.

"Aw~ Lovi~" Antonio sang as he saw the Italian walk out of the room dressed in the outfit he had chosen out, along with the brown boots Antonio had also allowed him to borrow. Lovino looked over at Antonio as he walked up.

"What?" he asked.

"You look nice in that~ I knew you would~" Lovino felt a blush creep onto his face again at Antonio's compliment. He wasn't really used to being treated _this_ nicely before. Sure, there would be a few people in the restaurant bar who would be nice to him and joke with him, but that was normally only two or three people and they would only come every other week or so.

"G-Grazie…"

"Though…"

"W-What?" Antonio looked at Lovino with a thinking look that looked like he was pouting a bit as he looked at the attire that Lovino was wearing. He knew the reason why Lovino closed the shirt up more than it was supposed to since it was supposed to be an open chest shirt and he knew the jacket that went a little above the waist was closed to a reason too, though on himself the jacket only went to the bottom of his rib cage. The pants were a perfect fit, which was a good thing.

"Ah!" Antonio smiled as he walked up to Lovino. "You're red sash and belt isn't on properly. Can I fix it?" He wanted Lovino's permission first before he touched him since he didn't want to scare the Italian like Francis had done to him. Lovino slightly looked away from Antonio, a deep blush appearing on his face but nodded in reply. Antonio nodded as he knelt down and took off the belt before adjusting the red sash to the proper place. He then placed the belt back on and stood up before placing a bandana on the back of Lovino's head.

"There~ All done~" Antonio sang as he looked at Lovino. "You make a great pirate Lovi~" Lovino said nothing as he looked away from Antonio, his face completely red from all the compliments that Antonio kept showering him with. "You can just walk around~ I have to get back to work." Lovino nodded before Antonio walked off.

_Why is he so nice to me?_ Lovino asked himself in thought as he started to explore the ship.

The crew was working hard to keep things flowing smoothly. The way they scaled the ropes made it seem like they were monkeys. They would be swiftly moving across the mast to make sure the sails were securely tightened while others made sure the rope ladders were securely tightened or to make sure that there weren't any cracks on the ship that could cause something bad to happen. There were also people making sure the canons were securely tightened to their positions. Lovino was amazed at how the crew could move so fast with how large the ship was in the first place. It kind of made him want to help out in some way, but he also felt like he just wanted to stand there and watch them in amazement. He had never seen anything like this before. Being locked away inside that hell made him unable to do much of anything that he would have liked. He had even forgotten how to read and write since he had been in there. The only way he was able to tell what drinks were which were by the color and smell, which would seem weird to most people if they hadn't been in the same situation as he had.

Yes, Lovino may have learned to read and write when he was younger by his grandfather, but when the war was happening he couldn't be taught unless they wanted to be found. Of course, that didn't even seem to work for the most part since everyone, except for Feliciano, had died, or at least from what he knew of. After knowing Feliciano was alive, he could be wrong about the rest of his family as well, though he highly doubted it.

_Feliciano…_ Lovino thought as he walked to the railing of the ship and looked out towards the ocean that seemed to sparkle like a newly polished gem against the sunlight. _How did you survive?_

"Bonjour mon petit," Francis greeted the Italian who only flinched and spun around, looking at the blond with fear in his eyes. This didn't surprise Francis at all. It expected it so he wasn't really hurt by the Italian's actions. "Don't worry I'm just here to apologize for my actions yesterday."

"L-Like hell you are…" Lovino stuttered as he started moving along the railing to get away from the Frenchman. Francis sighed as he watched Lovino moving away from him. This would _definitely_ be harder than he thought it would be.

"I really am," Francis decided to continue to try and get the Italian to forgive him, even if it was just a little bit. "I wasn't aware of your situation as much as I would have liked to let on." Lovino didn't seem to believe Francis as he continued to move away from him. Francis sighed. "Alright… I guess I'll leave you alone then." With that Francis turned on his heel and walked off, trying to figure out a different way that he could get Lovino to forgive him.

_Thank god…_ Lovino thought as he sighed out in relief.

"KESESESESESESE~!" a voice laughed, causing Lovino to jump almost a foot in the air. Lovino's head darted around to try to find the owner of the voice before a man landed in front of him. Lovino yelped a bit as the man a few feet in front of him stood up with a large grin on his face.

The man had messy white hair that was sticking out of a navy blue – almost purple – hat that was lined with gold at the top. He wore a matching navy long jacket with a white shirt underneath it and an ascot around his neck. His off-white pants were tucked inside black boots and a red cape completed the ensemble. The man's crimson eyes stared at Lovino as if they were trying to pierce through his soul.

_W-What the hell is with him!_ Lovino screeched in thought as he felt his knees give out on him from fright, which only made the albino burst into laughter.

"Didn't think you'd be _that_ scared," the man teased as he kept his position a few feet from Lovino. Lovino tried to yell at the man, but only squeaks came out again. "Anyways, name's Gilbert Beilschmidt! You can ask the almighty me anything you want!" Lovino just stared at Gilbert with fear still present in his eyes. He swore the people on this ship were just _trying_ to make it so he'd jump overboard, though he wouldn't really do something like that in the first place but it was tempting with all the people Lovino was meeting.

_Seriously… what is wrong with the people on this ship!_ Lovino exclaimed in thought as the albino looked at him with a slightly confused expression. Gilbert didn't know whether he should be worried about Lovino or not with the way the Italian was slightly shaking.

"You okay kid?" he finally asked Lovino.

"I-I'm fine…" Lovino replied as he shakily stood back up, using the wooden railing as support. He was still a bit shaken from Gilbert suddenly appearing from the sky, but he was fine none-the-less.

"Well alright. If you say so." Lovino took a deep shaky breath before looking over at Gilbert.

"Was there something you want?"

_BESIDES scaring the living hell out of me?_ Lovino finished in thought.

"Not really," Gilbert replied with a shrug. "This is just my daily routine."

"Scaring the crap out of people is your daily routine!" Lovino heard himself shout, slightly squeaking as he did so. Nope. He still wasn't over getting the living daily lights sucked out of him.

"Of course not! The awesome and almighty me wouldn't do something like that on purpose! _You_ just happened to be there. Trust me, if I was going to scare someone I would be much more discreet than that!" Lovino shakily sighed as he looked back out at the ocean. Something told him that he wasn't going to get used to the people on this ship like he thought he could. "Anyways, see ya around kid."

"My name's Lovino!" the Italian shouted as Gilbert walked off. Of course, the albino only laughed and waved his hand dismissively before he returned back to his work. Lovino let out an annoyed sigh.

_Seriously… what's wrong with the people on this ship?_


	5. Chapter 5

Lovino hadn't gotten much sleep that night. It was at times like these he wished his slight insomniac manner didn't kick in. Sure, he was enjoying being able to sleep whenever he wanted, but after so many years of being used as a prostitute it didn't help him to sleep well sometimes. He remembered a few times he was forced to stay awake all night and then work the next day. After a few weeks of that happening at least every other day, he developed slight insomnia from it.

Sometimes it didn't bug him, but it did right now since it was probably still some time early in the morning. Lovino softly sighed as he looked over at the Spaniard sleeping a few inches away, a child-like innocence to his face as he slept. Antonio was nice enough to let Lovino sleep in his bed during the trip since there weren't enough beds anywhere else. Of course, he was given a choice of sleeping with Francis and Gilbert, but those two didn't sit well with him at all so Antonio was the only one he could sleep with since the rest of the crew slept in hammocks below deck.

"Lovi…?" the groggy voice of Antonio came, followed by a soft groan. Lovino looked over at the Spaniard and saw tired emerald eyes looking up at him. "Something wrong?"

"No…" Lovino replied as he looked away from Antonio, placing his head on his knees that were scrunched near his chest.

"Can you not sleep?"

"Kind of…" Antonio tiredly blinked at Lovino before sitting up, the blanket sliding off to reveal his peach colored pajamas. "J-Just go back to sleep…" Lovino didn't want Antonio losing sleep because of him and his own problem.

"What about you? You need to sleep too."

"I'll be fine… I'm used to this kind of thing."

Antonio gasped like that comment was the worst thing in the world. "You're used to it?" he asked with worry. "You shouldn't be used to it Lovi!" Lovino was slightly taken aback at Antonio's sudden childish demeanor. "It's bad for you to not sleep." Lovino was silent as he looked away from Antonio who pouted a bit before smiling happily and stretched his arms out to Lovino. "Do you want a hug to help you sleep~?"

Lovino's face reddened at the comment. "N-No…"

"You sure? It might help you sleep~"

"I-I'm fine…"

Antonio sighed before coming up with another idea. "How about some warm milk?" he asked gently. "I hear that always helps someone get to sleep~!" Lovino stared at Antonio for a long time, wondering why the Spaniard was so keen on helping him so much.

"F-Fine…." He finally caved in with a grumble. Antonio nodded as he got out of the bed and placed his jacket on since it was a bit nippy outside.

"Okay Lovi~ I'll be back in a few~" Antonio sang as he placed his boots on and walked out of the room with a small skip. Lovino sighed as he laid back down, staring at the ceiling even though he couldn't actually make it out in the blackness of the night.

_Why is this happening to me?_ he asked himself in thought, the same question he would ask himself back at his old work from time to time. Of course, the meanings were completely different in context this time. He had asked himself this question over and over but it would always be the same reasoning: _because he was forced to._ This time, however, it was different but it was a question he didn't know _how_ to answer.

Most questions Lovino could answer but they would always be answers that he didn't like at all. Most were 'because I was forced to' or 'God is testing me.' He disliked them and, after some time, he went with the first option since he believed God had just given up on him, even though his grandfather would always tell him that God is always with him. Lovino sighed again as he reached for the small bag with his only belongings in it and took out the crystal cross from his grandfather.

_Grandpa…_ Lovino thought as he looked at the cross in the moonlight that seeped in through the window, making the crystal shimmer radiantly. Lovino was mesmerized by its beauty that he almost felt like the past 6 years never happened, making him feel at ease more than he ever had been before. His eyes dropped heavily as his arms flopped onto the bed and only faintly hearing Antonio calling his name before he everything went completely black.

0-0-0

"_Lovino!" a gentle voice called to him as he stood in the middle of a field that looked like golden thread in a basket of multiply colors woven together. Lovino, no more than a small child, turned towards a woman with long auburn hair done up in a ponytail and her soft curls flowing down her back and shoulders. Her pale skin was due to the fact that she didn't see much sun due to her condition._

_Even now she was sitting in the shade under a tall oak tree where a taller man sat with her. This man had dark brown hair instead of auburn and always seemed to be wearing a white t-shirt that showed off his large muscles and black slacks with thigh high boots. And, sitting on this man's lap was a small child with light auburn hair with a single curl hanging off to the left side of his head and he was dressed in a white priest outfit that the woman had sown for him that had a matching hat that sat on the child's head._

_Lovino knew them and tried to speak but nothing came out. The woman beckoned for him to come again, but he felt frozen as tears filled his amber eyes. He knew her. It was his mother. Even when the man, his grandfather, and the small child, his brother, called for him, he still couldn't answer or go towards them._

"_Fratello!" his brother called for him in a sweet manner as he stood up and started running over to him with a bright and happy expression on his face. "Come on Fratello!" Lovino's lips moved to utter his brother's name but there was no sound again. Most of his family was sitting right there in front of him and he couldn't get to them._

_However, the worse thing was that the image slowly started to melt away like someone had just splashed water on a freshly painted water color canvas and, eventually, leaving Lovino in the dark. It scared him to be in darkness. It brought back so many things he wanted to forget before he felt something cold and wet._

_Wet?_

0-0-0

Amber orbs slowly revealed themselves as the darkness slowly left, replaced with a muddled yet dank light. Lovino could hear a few voices arguing, but his mind was too clouded to make them out clearly at the moment. But the longer he listened the clearer they got and he knew the three voices since they were all different in both personality _and_ accents. The voices belonged to Antonio, Francis, and Gilbert.

"What do you mean by that! He's burning up!" Antonio yelled as he held the slightly dripping cloth on Lovino's head as he glared at Francis. "It needs to be brought down and this is the only way that it's going to happen!"

"I realize that mon ami, but you could also make it worse," Francis declared, both hands on his hips as he spoke. "If you leave the water there then his fever could go up!" Antonio sighed before looking at Lovino as he heard a soft groan coming from the Italian.

"Seems he's awake," Gilbert commented as crimson eyes made their way over to look at Lovino with a stern look, arms folded over his chest and wondering why he was even there in the first place.

"You alright Lovi?" Antonio asked gently as he looked at the Italian with concern, his eyes looking as if they were piercing into the Italian's soul.

_Why is he so nice to me…?_ Lovino asked himself again but only let out a soft groan in reply to Antonio since he couldn't talk from his voice being so dry. Antonio quickly cleaned up the excess water and replaced the pillow Lovino was on with a dry fluffed one.

"We're going to get you to a doctor," Antonio commented to Lovino with a gentle smile. "It'll take us a little off-course, okay?" Lovino stared at Antonio with drooping eyes before weakly nodding in reply and slipping back into unconsciousness.

"I don't know _why_ you worry about him," Gilbert commented with a sigh. "He's just some kid." Antonio shot Gilbert a stern look before sighing and looking back at the sick sleeping Italian.

"Gil… you have no idea…." Was the only thing Antonio said before standing up, gently pushing pass Francis and Gilbert, and walking out of the room. Francis and Gilbert looked at each other with confusion before following after their friend, not knowing why Antonio had a far-off look on his face while looking at Lovino.

Antonio walked over to the side of the ship and looked out at the ocean. _They don't understand…_he thought with another soft sigh. Antonio closed his eyes as he stood there with his arms folded across his chest. _Lovi doesn't remember though…a little sad…_

Antonio spaced out as he remembered his childhood and smiling goofily for several minutes before snapping out of it, shaking his head. He couldn't get distracted with the past right now. He had a job to do after all. Antonio turned with his back towards the ocean as he took one last glance at it before getting back to work.

By the time Lovino woke up again, the sun was already setting, giving the room a faint glow of light to it. Amber eyes searched the room as he tried to find Antonio who wasn't there at the moment. Lovino groaned again as he turned over on his side. He still felt horrible and didn't remember a thing from earlier. He remembered Antonio telling him something, but that was it.

"Lovi…?" a soft voice asked as the door creaked open slightly.

"Huh….?" Lovino asked weakly as he saw Antonio peeking his head in through the slightly opened door. The Spaniard softly smiled as he walked into the room with a small tray of soup and water on it.

"I brought you some tomato soup and water. How are you feeling?" Lovino groaned, making Antonio softly laugh. "I guess that was kind of a stupid question to ask…" Lovino said nothing as he laid there, wanting to go back to sleep. "No, No Lovi. You need to eat something so you can get better."

Antonio was very insistent on Lovino staying awake to eat. Of course, the Italian only wanted to sleep the entire time since he felt so bad. However, due to his condition, he lost the fight and was sat up against the head board on some pillows to eat.

"Can you eat by yourself?" Antonio finally asked as he set the tray down on Lovino's lap. Lovino didn't say anything as he weakly attempted to eat but only managed to get it away from the bowl before the contains spilled onto the tray. Antonio smiled as he took the spoon from Lovino and started feeding him.

"Grazie…." Lovino thanked with a hoarse voice as he started eating, the warm liquid slowly flowing down his throat. It was warm and made Lovino's body feel light and a bit cooler from having a high fever to begin with. Antonio still had a smile plastered on his face as he fed Lovino who still had a soft, far-off look on his face. After only a few bites, Lovino stopped eating.

"Come on Lovi, you need to eat more," Antonio stated as he tried to give Lovino more soup but the Italian refused, or more like he couldn't since he went completely limp and his eyes immediately closed. "Lovi?" Antonio quickly removed the tray and set it on the table before looking at Lovino again, trying to have a genuine smile on his face but it came out nervous. "Come on, you're okay… Lovi?"

Antonio still didn't get a response from Lovino, making Antonio start to slightly panic as he felt Lovino's head again. His fever was going up again and the worse part that Antonio found was that Lovino wasn't breathing at all.

"Lovi? Lovi!" Antonio stared at Lovino with wide emerald eyes, slightly picking the Italian up into his arms and gently shaking him just in case. "C-Come on Lovi. T-The jokes over now, o-okay?" Antonio still got no response from the sick being in his arms, sending him into a frenzy. "LOVI!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Cliff hanger~ o3o now you'll have to wait and see what happens~! X3**


	6. Chapter 6

Antonio sighed as he sat in a chair, a pained expression dancing across his face as he stared at the tile floor beneath him. He seemed so out of it until he saw the lingering shadows of two people standing near him. He looked up and saw that it was Francis and Gilbert, both having serious expressions on their faces as if they wanted some answers.

"Alright Toni," Gilbert began as his crimson eyes stared at his friend as if they were trying to burn holes in the Spaniard. "Spill it."

"S-Spill what?" Antonio asked nervously as he looked up at his friends from the chair he sat in. Both ocean blue and crimson eyes stared at Antonio, not taking their eyes off of him. Their stares were saying 'You know what we mean,' making Antonio sigh and look down at the floor again.

"Come on Toni!" Gilbert commanded. "Tell us!"

"W-Well… It-"

"You better not say it was love at first sight!"

"Kind of…" Antonio admitted, making Francis and Gilbert have looks of confusion on their faces. They didn't really understand what Antonio had meant by 'kind of' but something told them that they were about to hear why. "You see… I first met Lovi when I was a child…"

"Oh really?" Francis asked, seeming surprisingly calm about the whole thing while Gilbert had a dumbstruck expression on his face. Antonio nodded in reply as he kept his gaze at the floor before closing his eyes.

"So… you're in love with him?" Gilbert finally asked after several minutes of silence, his tone less aggressive than it had been before. Antonio nodded in reply once again. "I see…" Gilbert kind of didn't believe Antonio, but he also knew that he had to believe his friend with the look on the Spaniard's face. Francis sighed as he sat down next to Antonio, placing a comforting arm around him.

"Don't worry mon ami," Francis stated. "The doctor will make sure he's alright."

"I-I know but… he wasn't _breathing,_" Antonio bluntly stated with a great emphasis on the last word. Francis was silent, not knowing what to say that would comfort his Spanish friend.

A tense air came between the three as they sat in silence, none of them knowing what to say or even do. Francis and Gilbert didn't know how to comfort their friend and Antonio was fretting over Lovino, not a very good combination to put together right now. Within a matter of seconds, Antonio tipped forward but was lucky that Francis and Gilbert were there to catch him.

"He's exhausted…" Gilbert sighed as he looked over at Francis. "He hasn't slept for nearly a day…"

"Oui…" Francis agreed with a nod of his head as he looked down at his sleeping friend. "He's been so worried about Lovino, though it makes sense now _why_ he was worrying about him so much." Gilbert couldn't help but nod in agreement to that statement. Now that they knew Antonio loved Lovino, they, for some reason, felt like they needed to help their friend even more than before.

Sure, the two didn't know Lovino as well as Antonio did, but they _did_ know that Lovino didn't seem to remember Antonio anymore for some unknown reason. Francis and Gilbert looked at each other and nodded, knowing that they would, somehow, need to help Lovino remember who Antonio was. It was a promise to themselves.

0-0-0

_Antonio awoke to find himself in his bed on the ship. How be got back there was a mystery to him, but he decided to ignore it. He could probably think of several reasons why he was back there. However, the thing that surprised him the most was the Italian sleeping next to him. He blinked in confusion as he placed a gentle hand on Lovino's cheek._

"_Lovi…" Antonio softly said, but he was a bit surprised that Lovino didn't have a fever anymore. He smiled a bit glad to know that he was alright._

"_Uh…?" Lovino softly groaned as his amber eyes slowly opened. "Antonio…?" Lovino rubbed his eyes as he sat up, looking at the Spaniard with tired eyes. Antonio gently smiled at Lovino._

"_Morning Lovi~"_

"_Morning…" Lovino's voice was tired and a bit hoarse, but that happened to most people when they first woke up in the morning._

"_How are you feeling?"_

"_Fine…" Lovino replied as he continued to stare at Antonio, making the Spaniard cock is head to the side in confusion at why Lovino was looking at him the way he was. Though he didn't need to ask when Lovino suddenly flung himself at him, locking their lips together. Antonio was completely thrown off by this and his eyes widened in surprise._

"_W-What are you doing Lovi?" Antonio asked as he gently pushed the Italian away from him so he could speak. Lovino stared at Antonio with soft, shimmering eyes but didn't say anything as he pushed Antonio's hands away and kissed him again. Antonio didn't push him away this time though. He wanted to relish in this feeling of the one he loved kissing him. Antonio wrapped his arms around Lovino's thin figure as Lovino's own arms slowly wrapped around Antonio's neck, bringing the two deeper into the kiss. However, within seconds all of that was shattered._

0-0-0

"Toni! Wake up!" Gilbert commanded as he shook his friend awake. Antonio jerked a bit as he sat back up in the chair he was sitting in.

"Huh? Wha-!" Antonio said groggily, looking around like something was wrong. Gilbert sighed and shook his head as he grabbed his friend's head, making it look at him.

"Calm down Toni. Just trying to get you up so the doc can talk to ya."

It took Antonio awhile to process anything that was going on right now since he was still half asleep. When he finally got it, he nodded, yawned, and stretched before standing up and walking into the room where Lovino was. As he walked into the room, it was dark but a bit of light shown through the curtains so one could see where they were going. Pure white walls, a heart monitor, an oxygen tank, an IV drip, and the bed which Lovino laid upon. The doctor stood near the bedside as he checked the IV drip and heart monitor before turning to look at Antonio.

"H-How is he?" Antonio nervously asked, fearing what the answer may be. He became more worried when he saw an oxygen mask over Lovino's mouth and nose and Lovino's pale face. A string tugged at Antonio's heart before it sank at seeing Lovino's condition. The only thing that seemed to make everything better was the fact that Lovino was breathing again.

"He'll be fine, but he'll have to stay here for a few days to recover," the doctor replied as he looked down at Lovino who slept peacefully. "His body had gone into shock from his fever rising so sudden, which was why he wasn't breathing for awhile. I placed the mask on his face just in case."

Antonio nodded. "I-I see…"

"He has pneumonia if you're curious. It's not as bad as some cases I have seen, but it is still something one shouldn't take lightly. You got him to me just in time. Any long without him breathing and he would've died." Antonio felt his heart clench as he heard this. If they had been any later, Lovino would've died. His love would've been dead.

"I-I see…" Antonio softly said, trying not to let his voice crack as he did so.

"He should wake up soon," the doctor continued. "but he still does need to sleep and he also needs to get some food into his system if he wants to get better." Antonio nodded.

"I'll s-see to it he gets something…" The doctor nodded as he got his clipboard and headed for the door.

"I'll let you be then. I'll come check on him in awhile." Antonio nodded as he heard the door close, plunging the room into more darkness than it had been before. Antonio walked over to the bedside and sat down in the chair that sat there. He looked at the resting figure in front of him and couldn't help but smile a bit at how innocent looking the Italian was. Antonio took Lovino's hand into his as he looked at Lovino's face.

_Get well soon…_ he thought as he gently kissed the Italian's hand before standing up and leaving the room. He needed to get some rest, he knew that much. He stopped at the door and took another look at Lovino before walking out of the room, leaving the sick Italian where he lay. _Get well soon, my love…_

0-0-0

_Lovino looked around the playground as he tried to find a place to hide from his father. He was probably around the age of 10 by this time and had gotten into trouble again, though he felt like he got in trouble for everything that happened in the house. He looked at the monkey bars and then the slide, neither of which would be helpful for him wanting to hide. He looked over at the jungle gym, which would still be unhelpful to him at this point. He quickly looked around and saw an igloo type structure that only had a few holes close to the top of it. It was perfect. Lovino quickly looked around to make sure that no one could see him before hiding himself inside._

"_They won't find me in here," he softly whispered before letting out a soft yelp as he ran into something. He quickly scrambled away and turned around before seeing a young boy a bit older than him sitting there. However, by this point Lovino couldn't see the boy's face._

0-0-0

Lovino groaned softly as his eyes slowly opened to reveal a pure white ceiling sitting above him. He barely remembered anything that had happened earlier but the most important thing to him was _why_ he remembered something from his past now of all times. He remembered seeing that boy in the igloo, but he didn't remember anything about him. He didn't remember his face, his voice, or even being friends with him. Nothing. Lovino coughed a bit as he felt like his head was splitting in two. He rolled over a bit as he looked around the room more and quickly realized that he was in a hospital.

That's when Lovino had remembered that he had gotten a terrible cold, which was why he felt so bad right now. Lovino softly sighed as he felt his eyes get heavy again but they stared slightly opened as he heard the door open and saw that familiar figure entering the room.

"Hi Lovi…" Antonio softly said as he brought in a tray of food and set it on the table next to the bed. "You feeling any better than before?" Antonio looked over at Lovino sweetly, making Lovino blush a bit, though it couldn't be seen with his already flushed cheeks.

"A… A bit…." Lovino weakly replied as he saw Antonio sitting down on the chair near the bed.

"Well, even if it's a little bit it's still good." Lovino nodded a bit as he felt himself being lifted up into a sitting position with the bed. "You're hungry, right? I got you some food. The doctor said you need some protein and other things to help your body heal itself." Lovino just stared at Antonio, only catching a few things the Spaniard said but nodded in reply anyways. Antonio smiled. "You want me to feed you?" Lovino nodded again, making Antonio softly laugh at the Italian's cuteness.

So, Antonio did just that. He feed Lovino the food he had brought. It was a stew to help Lovino swallow it better just in case his throat was swollen. Of course Antonio had to take the oxygen mask off the Italian first in order to feed him.

"Feel a bit better now?" Antonio finally asked once Lovino had eaten everything that he had brought for him.

"S-Si…." Lovino replied his voice a bit better sounding than before but not quiet there yet. "G-Grazie…"

"You're very welcome Lovi~" Antonio stood up and picked up the tray with him. "Just get some sleep now, okay?" Lovino nodded as Antonio placed the bed back down for him.

_Why is he so nice to me?_ Lovino asked himself again in thought. This question seemed to be coming up a lot more than he thought it would, but it _was_ a very good question that he would want answered.

"Oh!" Antonio said before he walked out of the room. He quickly walked back in and set down the tray before placing the oxygen mask back over Lovino's mouth and nose. "Can't be forgetting about this~" Antonio smiled at Lovino before picking the tray back up and heading for the door again.

Lovino tried to ask the question that had been bothering him, but he fell asleep again before he had the time. Guess he could have to ask again some other time, though he highly doubted he would.

Antonio took on last glance at Lovino before walking out of the room when he saw that the Italian had fallen asleep again. He left the room before sighing, pressing his back against the door. It was hard for him to keep acting like he didn't know who Lovino was. He didn't really know _how_ much longer he could keep this up. It was only a matter of time before he caved in and let his desires take him over. Antonio shook his head as he straightened back out and walked down the hall to put the dishes into the sink of the kitchen in the hospital. He would need to control himself. He definitely would have to unless he wanted Lovino to hate him for the rest of his life.

That was _definitely_ something Antonio didn't want. Yes. He would keep himself from doing anything. He would remain his oblivious, careless self.


	7. Chapter 7

Lovino groaned as the ship rocked back and forth heavily. It had already been two weeks since he had gotten back on this ship from having pneumonia at the hospital on some small island that Lovino didn't even know of, and now he was on a ship that made him feel sick again. That was just great. He could only faintly hear the shouts of Antonio, Francis, and Gilbert, or the Bad Touch Trio as Lovino came to learn they were called after wandering the ship and asking around about the three. The voices were drowned out by the heavy rain that was pounding the ship and the ocean waters. The storm was bad and Lovino kind of wished he could be of more help, but knew that he couldn't. He'd probably be washed off the ship rather than being able to help.

Lovino couldn't understand how _anyone_ could withstand not being sick when they were in a situation like this. Lovino's stomach clenched and knotted as the waves got harsher and rougher. He was beginning to wonder how much longer he was going to have to be on this ship. It seemed like they should have made it to land already.

"What's the status of the storm!" Antonio yelled as looked up at the man in the crow's nest.

"It's still going strong sir!" the man called back as loudly as he could. Antonio clenched his teeth and fists as he heard that. He didn't think that they were going to make it at this rate. Orders were still being given by Francis and Gilbert but Antonio could tell that _they_ didn't even know if they were going to make it through this. Antonio quickly ran to his quarters to check on Lovino.

"You alright Lovi?" Antonio asked as he closed the door behind him.

Lovino groaned as he looked over at Antonio. "I don't like the sea…" he complained. Antonio nodded, knowing that Lovino would probably feel like this since it was his first time on a ship for a long time. "When are we going to get to land?"

"I'm not sure… We got completely swept off course and it's hard to tell where we are in this storm."

"Great…" Lovino grumbled as he buried his face into the pillow again. Antonio looked out the window before looking back at Lovino.

0-0-0

"Damn it! Where did he go!" Gilbert yelled as he tried to look for Antonio who wasn't on deck anymore.

"I'm pretty sure he went to go check on _him_," Francis concurred as he walked over to Gilbert. Gilbert softly cursed under his breath as he turned towards Antonio's cabin, only to feel a large shift in the ship.

"We've lost part of the ship!" a man yelled. Gilbert and Francis could feel the ship starting to sink, but what they were most concerned about was _where_ the sinking was coming from. They turned towards Antonio's quarters and saw that most of it was gone, but the worse part was that both Antonio and Lovino were both gone.

"Shit!" Gilbert yelled as he was about to run towards the door but felt his arm being grabbed. He spun and saw Francis.

"Mon ami, I know how you feel but we have to get off this ship before it sinks!" Francis commented. Gilbert looked down for a few long minutes before looking back up and nodding. He knew Francis was right and they would have a better chance of surviving it they got into long boats. Francis nodded back as he turned towards the crew. "Abandon ship! Everyone into the long boats!"

"Yes sir!" the crew answered as the long boats started being filled and dropped to the ocean surface. Gilbert looked back at the room that was once Antonio's before heading off the ship and into a long boat.

_You better not be dead!_ Gilbert yelled in thought as they started to move away from their sinking ship. It wasn't long before the entire ship was submerged under water, everyone watching as it happened. However, what became of Antonio and Lovino was something that _none_ of them knew. They wouldn't know if they were still alive or not, but they would try to find them sometime soon, or at least that's what they hoped anyways.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Yes, I know this chapter is a lot shorter than the other ones, but that's the way I wanted this chapter to go. And I wanted to leave you guys in suspense again! /shot/**

**No, I'm really not that mean but this was the way I was going to do it anyways, so~**

**I hope you enjoy this chapter even with all of its shortness. I am planning on having chapter 8 out by the end of the week, but... that may or may not happen, just depends.**

**I promise chapter 8 will be longer than this one and _all_ the other chapters before~ o3o; So I hope you look forward to that! X3**

**Thank you all for the wonderful support~**


	8. Chapter 8

_Lovino sat in that igloo of the playground with the mysterious boy whose name he could not remember. It was like he wanted to forget who he was but his face was still nothing he could remember either._

"_Tell me what your name is now," the boy asked him as he moved a bit closer to Lovino whose back was pressed against the wall._

"_W-Why should I tell you that!" Lovino slightly shouted before covering his mouth in hopes that no one heard him. The boy softly laughed as he sat a few feet away from Lovino on his feet._

"_Please~ I told you my name." The boy seemed very adamant on knowing what Lovino's name was and he seemed like he wasn't going to stop pestering him until he knew who he was. Lovino sat there and stared at the boy for several minutes before sighing and looking away._

"_L-Lovino Vargas…"_

"_Aw~ That's a pretty name~"_

0-0-0

"Uh…?" Lovino groaned as his amber eyes slowly opened, feeling the soft rain hit his face. His blurry eyes slowly became clearer as he blinked a few times. He groaned again as he shakily sat up to find himself on a strange beach. The ocean was gently splashing against the shores of the sandy beach. Lovino looked around and saw Antonio lying next to him, injured badly. "A-Antonio…." Lovino shakily crawled over Antonio and shuttered as he saw the Spaniard bleeding from his head.

Lovino looked around and saw a small bag and a large one. He recognized the smaller one and quickly scrambled over to it. He opened it up and, to his surprise, the items inside were still in one piece. He pulled out the crystal cross and checked it but saw no signs of cracks or chips. He quickly attached the small bag to the belt of the outfit Antonio gave him before quickly running to the other bag and looking inside it. Coincidently, there was a first aid kit in it, just what he needed. He quickly dragged the bag over to where Antonio was before pulling out the first aid kit. He then proceeded to clean and wrap Antonio's head, feeling tears sting his eyes as he did so.

_Fuck…_ Lovino cursed in thought as he finished wrapping Antonio's head with a sloppy bandage. _He wouldn't be like this if it wasn't for me…_

Lovino shook his head, trying to keep himself from crying but it was no use. The tears just started to flow heavily from his eyes. If he hadn't been there, then Antonio wouldn't be so roughed up and bleeding from his head. Lovino tried to wipe the tears from his eyes, but it was no use. He shakily stood up and looked around to see if he could find any place that he could drag Antonio into to get them out of the rain, but only found a small roof area. He shook his head, knowing that it would have to work for now.

Lovino quickly dragged the bag underneath the shelter before he quickly went back and started to drag Antonio the best he could, but it was hard to do since the Spaniard was heavier than one would think. Or at least he was to Lovino. Eventually, he was able to get him underneath the roof area and place him back down gently before his knees gave out on him, causing him to collapse to the ground. Lovino panted heavily as he sat above Antonio's head.

"I… C-Can't…" Lovino began to huff out before he collapsed backwards and passed out. He wasn't used to all of this labor. He had still been tired from his trip in the ocean and now he was trying to take care of Antonio and everything else, it wasn't something he was used to. Sure, he was used to bringing people alcohol and giving 'service' to some customers, but he wasn't used to carrying heavy things such as packs or people. He was just so tired.

0-0-0

Antonio woke up groggily, his head throbbing heavily. He didn't remember much of what had happened after he had grabbed Lovino before they were swept out to sea from a strong wave crashing through the room. Anything after that was a blur or he didn't even remember. As his vision cleared, he could see that he was under a roofed area as the pitter patter of the rain fell upon it. He sat up slowly before holding his head which still hurt severely but he noticed that there was a different feeling to it than he would have expected. He felt it for a few minutes before realizing that it was a bandage.

"Lovi?" Antonio asked as he looked around the area and saw that the Italian wasn't there. He even looked behind him and didn't see Lovino anywhere. He blinked in confusion several times before hearing a grunting sound coming from the woods. Antonio looked in the direction of the grunts and, after a few minutes, the Italian appeared dragging a large leaf with wood stacked on it, though he was having problems trying to drag it.

Lovino stopped as he panted heavily. He was trying his best to do things since Antonio was injured, but it was hard on him. Antonio watched Lovino for a few minutes with a gentle smile, glad to see the Italian was alright and trying to help out. He moved a bit before feeling dizziness wash over him, making him collapse to the ground. Antonio shook it off and slowly sat up again before seeing Lovino struggling with the pile again. Once Lovino had gotten close enough, the Italian collapsed again and panted heavily.

"You okay Lovi?" Antonio asked with concern.

"F…Fine…." Lovino wheezed. Antonio could see the rapid movement of the Italian's chest moving up and down.

"You don't have to push yourself you know~" Lovino said nothing as he tried to slow down his breathing. "You should just relax, okay~?" Lovino sighed as he sat up.

"I-It's fine…" he mumbled as he got some fire wood and placed them into the fire pit that was made in the middle of the roofed area.

"You sure? You're shaking really badly…" Lovino nodded as he pulled out a box of matches that, luckily, hadn't gotten wet from being in the large bag. Though, Lovino was a bit curious as to why _none_ of the items in that large bag were wet. "Oh~ You found my emergency bag."

"E-Emergency… bag…?" Lovino asked as he looked over at Antonio who was happily looking at the large back.

"Si~ I had this stored in my room. I guess it was dragged out when we were washed away~"

"Then why is everything still… um…"

"Dry?" Lovino nodded in reply. Antonio picked up the bag and set it closer to him with a bright smile on his face. "There's a special material that's used on this one~ It's some new material that someone made and a few of us pirates were given trail versions to try and report how well they worked~ I guess I can say that it was a success~" Lovino said nothing as he placed a few more logs into the fire pit and sat near it, trying to keep warm. Antonio rummaged through the bag and pulled out a few pairs of clothes, handing one to Lovino. "We need to change before we catch cold."

"G…Grazie…" Lovino thanked as he took the clothes. Antonio smiled as he took a pair for himself and put the other ones away. Once that was done, Antonio took off his wet shirt and looked at it before looking over at Lovino who was staring at him with a blush on his face.

"Hm~ Are you staring at me Lovi~?" he cooed teasingly, making Lovino blush more and turn away from the Spaniard.

"N-No!" Lovino exclaimed. "I-I was l-looking at the o-ocean!"

"Oh really~?"

"S-Si…" Antonio softly laughed. "D-Don't look at me while I dress!"

"Do you have a phobia of dressing while people are looking?" Antonio asked half teasingly but more curiously than anything else.

"M-Maybe!" Antonio smiled as he turned back around.

"Okay Lovi~ I won't look~"

"G-Good…" Lovino mumbled as he took a quick glance over at Antonio and saw the scars that riddled the Spaniard's tanned back. He turned back around and looked down at the ground as he started to get changed into the dry clothes.

_I'm just adding to his scars…_ Lovino thought. He didn't really know if he should even bother trying to get to Feliciano right now. It seemed like he was causing more problems than helping. He couldn't really do anything helpful except start a fire with his practice at his old work from having to start them in the fire place so much during the winter. Now that he thought about it, he _was_ pretty useless out here. _It probably would've been better if I had forced him to take me back…_

Lovino shuddered a bit at this thought. He knew he hated that place more than anything and, out here, Antonio was working so hard to take him to his brother. He was probably just being selfish or just didn't want to cause Antonio problems.

"_When I get old enough, I'm going to be a pirate!"_ Lovino's eyes widened a bit as he heard those words echo through his head. He blinked a few times, wondering why he was remembering that _now_ of all times. Lovino blushed as he sank to the ground once he was dressed. He didn't even know _why_ he was remembering those words that boy from so long ago told him.

"Lovi…?" a worried voice came, snapping the Italian out of his thoughts. He looked up a bit and saw Antonio kneeling in front of him, their faces only inches apart from each other. Lovino yelped a bit as he fell backwards from fright of Antonio suddenly being there. "You okay Lovi?"

"F-Fine…" Lovino mumbled as he looked away from Antonio who hovered above him. Antonio cocked his head to the side in confusion as he looked down at Lovino.

"You sure? You seem a bit flushed. You're not getting sick again are you?" Lovino could hear the concern tone in Antonio's voice and slightly looked up at Antonio. His amber eyes met with emerald ones that shown with great concern for the Italian. Lovino blushed heavier as he looked away again.

"I-I'm f-fine," Lovino replied as he turned on his side and scrunched up a bit. He didn't really think he could be _this_ cold after getting changed into dry clothes.

Antonio looked down at Lovino before standing up and walking over to the large bag and pulling a sleeping bag and a blanket from it. He then walked over to the other side of the fire pit and set up a small sleeping area for them, making sure to still be far enough away from the fire so it didn't catch. Once that was done, Antonio walked back over to Lovino and picked him up bridal style, making the Italian blush even more than before.

"W-W-W-What are you doing!" Lovino exclaimed as he was picked up.

"Hm? I thought you were cold," Antonio commented innocently as he walked over to the makeshift bed and set Lovino down on it. "I thought you would want to be under something warm…" Lovino laid on the large blanket as he looked up at Antonio.

"O-oh… S…Sorry…."

"It's okay Lovi~" Antonio smiled as he place the opened sleeping bag over Lovino to act as a blanket. "Better?" Lovino nodded as he turned on his side, his back facing Antonio. Antonio patted Lovino's head like a parent would when talking to a child. "Just get some sleep, okay?"

"O…kay…" Lovino softly said before drifting off to sleep, somehow feeling secure with Antonio near by. Antonio smiled as he threw another log into the fire before looking back at Lovino who looked more peaceful than he had before.

_He's so cute~_ Antonio thought happily as he stood up and stretched, luckily his dizziness had gone away. Antonio yawned as he looked towards the fire pit and nodded. He knew that he could rest peacefully without having to worry about the fire spreading out of control. Antonio walked to the other side of Lovino and laid down underneath the sleeping bag. He looked at Lovino's sleeping face and gently smiled before settling down next to the Italian.

"Night Lovi…" he softly said as he kissed the Italian on the forehead, making himself blush for doing such a thing. Antonio turned to his other side so his back was facing Lovino so he couldn't be seen blushing like a girl who had just found her first love. He covered his face but only regretted it a little bit. For so long he had been trying to find Lovino again after he had set out do to what he wanted and, when he couldn't find him, he became a bit troubled by it.

Antonio slowly closed his eyes as he recalled that it was Feliciano that made it possible for him to go out and search for him since it was a job, though Antonio was finding it more exciting than just an ordinary job. He really _was_ glad that he could see Lovino again, even if it was for a short time, he was still glad about all of it. However, as Antonio's eyes closed, they snapped back open as he looked around the area. He sat up and looked around again.

"I... It can't be….." he softly murmured as he carefully yet quickly stood up and walked a bit out of the shelter and looked towards the road of the forest. "I…It…. Why…" Antonio looked around more before shaking his head. "It is…."


	9. Chapter 9

Lovino woke up to find that he was a _lot_ warmer than he had been before. He looked around to find himself in a large room. The walls were a dark red color with a mahogany colored dresser and a white colored door. Lovino stared at the door, wondering why it was the only thing that _didn't_ fit with the room. He softly groaned as he sat up and looking down at the dark red sheets that were on top of him.

_Why is almost everything in this room red…?_ he wondered in thought as he rubbed his eyes before looking towards the door where the murmurs of voices came from outside of it. Lovino stood up from the bed and quietly walked out of the room, making his way down the hall with tan walls. He got to the stairs where the voices became clearer, recognizing one of them as Antonio.

"He better not be that boy from back then!" a voice growled angrily.

"What if he is? What would you do?" Antonio asked, seeming completely calm about the whole thing. Lovino blinked in confusion, wondering who or what they were talking about.

"I'll kick him out of this house!"

"No… you wouldn't…"

"I would! You're even lucky I'm _letting_ you stay here you pagan devil child!" Silence filled the thick, malice covered air before Lovino heard footsteps heading for the stairs, making the Italian panic and quickly made his way back to the room. Once there, he shut the door quietly before sitting on the edge of the bed and making it look like he had just woken up just as the door swung open.

"Oh… L-Lovi…" Antonio weakly smiled at the Italian as he closed the door behind him. "Did I wake you?"

"No…. I woke before that…" Lovino replied as he yawned and stretched.

"Aw… That's good…" Lovino looked up at Antonio and saw that he wasn't his cheerful self, though he could understand why. After hearing that conversation that was going on downstairs, he felt bad for Antonio.

"I heard voices… Were you talking to someone?"

"Si… my father…"

"Father?" Antonio nodded as he slightly looked away from Lovino, seeming disappointed in having a father like that.

"This is my house." Lovino blinked a few times before he could comprehend what Antonio had just said. This was his house. He didn't think that _this_ place was Antonio's house.

"R-Really…?" Lovino asked as he looked at Antonio who still wasn't making eye contact with him. Antonio nodded in reply again as he walked over to another white door in the room. Lovino _still_ wondered why the doors were the only things in this room that were white.

"How are you feeling Lovi?" Antonio asked, seeming to be returning back to normal. Lovino looked over towards the opened door that Antonio was in, seeing that it was a closet.

"I-I'm alright…"

"That's good~ You looked so tired."

"How did we get here?" Lovino finally asked after a few minutes of silence. Antonio came back out of the closet with some clothes in hand.

"I brought us here," Antonio replied. "When we were on the beach I remembered that this place looked familiar and knew where I was after a few seconds. So I packed up what we had taken out and carried the pack and you here, though I wish I could say that this is a place I would _want_ to come to…" Lovino could hear Antonio's voice getting softer as he spoke.

"Do you not like it here…?" Lovino asked, though he probably already knew the answer after hearing the conversation that happened downstairs. He didn't really understand what his father meant by 'pagan devil child' though. That part was a little confusing to him.

"It's alright… not really one of the first places I would come, but we don't really have any money at the moment so…" Lovino nodded in reply but said nothing more as Antonio handed him a shirt and pants. "You can wear those. They should fit you better than the other clothes I've been giving you." Lovino took the clothes and looked at them. A light blue long sleeve shirt and black pants.

"G-Grazie…" Lovino thanked Antonio as he stood up and walked into the bathroom to get changed. Lovino sighed as he looked down at the clothes. He didn't even know _when_ he would be able to see Feliciano again. He really wanted to see his little brother since he hadn't in such a long time and didn't even know that he was alive, but somehow Lovino was fine with taking a long time to get there.

Lovino blushed a bit as he thought of how nice it was just to be with Antonio. The Spaniard was so nice to him and it was the first time that someone _had_ been nice to him. He also thought it was nice that he didn't have to deal with work or customers at all like he used to. It felt nice. Lovino gave a small smile before he got dressed and walked back out, his expression the same one that it normally was. He saw that Antonio had changed as well. He was wearing a loose white long sleeve shirt and black pants with a red sash around his waist.

"Do you always feel the need to dress up nice?" Lovino asked with curiosity. To him it always seemed like Antonio was wearing nice clothes for some odd reason. Even he himself looked a little on the nice side with the clothes that he was given, which was a little weird for him.

"Is that a bad thing~?" Antonio asked brightly with a smile, making Lovino blush and look away.

"I-I don't know… J-Just wondering…"

"Hm~? Really~?" Antonio walked up to Lovino and looked down at him. "You sure that's the _only_ reason?"

"W-What other reason would there be!" Lovino exclaimed as he looked up at Antonio, only to feel his blush deepen as he saw shimmering emerald eyes looking down at him with a gentle smile. Lovino slightly looked away from Antonio, not saying anything more.

"Something wrong Lovi?" Antonio asked curiously as he leaned to try to look Lovino in the face. Lovino turned his head more.

"N-No…"

"You sure?" Antonio took Lovino's face into his hands and gently pulled Lovino's face so it was facing his. "You really, _really_ sure?" Lovino could feel his face heat up as Antonio placed his forehead against his own. He didn't really know how to reply at this point. Antonio smiled with a soft laugh. "You look like a tomato Lovi~"

"S-So…?" Lovino asked since it was the only thing he knew _how_ to reply with. It was probably a stupid question, but he didn't know what else to say to that comment.

"It's cute is all~" Antonio replied as he pulled away from Lovino. Lovino slightly froze at this comment.

"D…Don't…. c-call me… c-cute…" he softly stuttered as his body shook.

"Ah! I-I'm sorry Lovi!" Antonio took Lovino's face into his hands again. "I'm sorry. D-Did it bring some awful memories back?" Lovino clenched his eyes shut up nodded in reply anyways. There was just something about Antonio that Lovino found that made it impossible to try and lie to the Spaniard. "I'm sorry… I wasn't trying too…" Antonio's voice began gentle and calming at this point as he tried to comfort the Italian. Antonio hugged Lovino, gently rubbing his back. "It's alright Lovi… I'm sorry, okay? So please stop crying."

Lovino hiccupped as he buried his face into Antonio's shoulder, staining the white shirt with his tears. Antonio didn't let Lovino go the entire time. He felt so bad for bringing bad memories back to Lovino. That was the _one_ thing he was trying _not_ to do while Lovino was with him, yet he still did that without meaning too. Antonio softly hushed the Italian as he continued to rub his back, but then it hit him. He gently pulled out of the hug and walked over to his belongings and pulled out a parchment. He read it over before turning and smiling at Lovino again.

"Lovi… I forgot," Antonio said. "But Feli somewhere around here~" Lovino rubbed the rest of the tears from his eyes as he sniffled a bit.

"H-He is..?" Lovino asked. Antonio nodded before smiling a bit when he saw Lovino look a bit relieved at this fact. Antonio looked away as his smile disappeared. He had been hoping to be able to spend more time with Lovino than this. He had completely forgotten that Feliciano was around this area, though he didn't like to admit that this was the one place he tried to avoid most of the time.

"Do you want to go look for him?" Antonio finally asked after several minutes of silence, keeping his back turned to Lovino.

"I-If it's… not too much trouble…" Antonio shook his head a bit before turning to Lovino with a smile on his face, though it was only half-hearted.

"It's no trouble at all Lovi~ Come on~" Antonio headed out of the room. Lovino stood there in confusion for a few minutes before following after. He somehow knew that Antonio's smile wasn't as cheerful as it normally was. Antonio walked to the bottom of the stairs and waited for Lovino, a dark expression on the Spaniard's face. Lovino felt a tense atmosphere as he walked to the bottom of the stairs and learned why.

Antonio and his father were glaring at each other. Antonio's father had dark brown hair that almost looked black, dark cerulean eyes, and much lighter skin than Antonio did. By the his black tux, it looked almost like he was working all the time even though he was at home and didn't have any work in front of him. However, the man's angry gaze was instantly casted to Lovino.

"So it _is_ that boy," he sneered. "GET HIM OUT OF HERE!"

"Don't worry," Antonio commented coldly as he took Lovino's hand. "I'm taking him to his brother." With that, Antonio turned away from his father and pulled Lovino with him out of the house. Lovino stumbled out of the house as he slightly shook from fright. He didn't even know _what_ he did to make Antonio's father hate him so much, but he didn't like it. The gaze the man gave him petrified him to the point where he felt like he couldn't even breathe anymore. He looked up at Antonio and shook a bit more at the dark look the Spaniard had.

"A…Ant-t-tonio…?" Lovino stuttered as his voice shook. This seemed to, somehow, snap the Spaniard out of his dark look and look down at Lovino with a curious one.

"Yes Lovi?" Antonio asked his voice still not as cheerful as it normally was.

"A-Are you o-okay…?" That's when Antonio realized that Lovino was shaking and shook off the feeling he had, smiling cheerfully at Lovino.

"Si~ I'm alright Lovi~"

"You sure…?" Antonio looked at Lovino with a confused look before softly laughing.

"Are you trying to copy me Lovi~?" Antonio teased, making Lovino's face flare up again as he realized what Antonio meant. Lovino shook his head aggressively in reply, only making Antonio laugh a bit more before he felt his face being taken into the Spaniard's hands again. "I'm joking silly~ Don't take things so seriously~" Lovino averted his gaze from Antonio again as the Spaniard smiled at him sweetly.

Lovino said nothing as he felt his heart rapidly pound against his rib cage, wondering why it was doing so. He had never felt like this around anyone before and was confused on _what_ this feeling was. He felt like his throat was dry and his breathing was cut short.

_W-What… is this…?_ Lovino asked himself another question that he found impossible to answer at the moment. Lovino stared into Antonio's eyes again and seemed to be lost in them. Pools of emerald were staring at him sweetly and Lovino didn't know what to do.

"Lovi…" Antonio softly said before leaning down and whispering into the Italian's ear. Lovino's eyes shot open as Antonio pulled away and started walking again, leaving Lovino to stand there by himself. Lovino didn't blink within the few minutes he tried to wrap his head around what Antonio had just told him.

"_I love you Lovi…"_ those gently spoken words echoed through Lovino's head as he looked in the direction Antonio had headed. The Spaniard was still walking and was getting further and further away. Lovino didn't really understand if Antonio had really meant that or not but he felt his face flare a deep crimson and his heart rate sky rocketing from those words.

"Come on Lovi~" Antonio finally called as he turned towards the Italian. "I thought we were going to go find Feli~ I'm sure he'll be happy to see you~!" Lovino continued to stand there, staring. If Antonio had really meant what he said, it made him happy to know that.

"C-Coming…" Lovino softly murmured as he started to walk over slowly, a small smile on his face. Now he understood the feeling he was getting before. He _loved_ Antonio, a feeling he never thought he could have from what he had been through. It felt nice and made him happier than anything in the world, but he frowned a bit when he realized that he could never actually be with Antonio.

The Spaniard was a pirate, someone who worked in the government. There was _no_ way that the two could actually be together, right? Lovino knew this, and it seemed most likely that the Spaniard would never come to visit him because of his father. So, even if he loved him back, it wouldn't work out, right? Lovino felt his heart sink to his stomach upon this realization, but he still wanted to be with Antonio. He wanted to be loved by someone for more than just because they feel the need to get some sexual tension out of the way. If Antonio really did love him, he wanted to know that it was a sincere love and not just Antonio trying to ease his troubles.

"_I love you Lovi,"_ the words echoed again, making Lovino's worries seem to shatter. The way the words were spoken had been so loving and gentle that Lovino, somehow, knew those words were real but the other issues at hand came flooding back to him. He knew they couldn't be together, right?

"Lovi…?" Antonio softly spoke as he cupped the Italian's face with his hands again, looking at him with concern. "Is something wrong? You look troubled…" Lovino looked up at Antonio as he felt new tears ready to spring forth. He wanted to say it, but his words were caught in his throat and he couldn't. He knew if he said them, it would only make him regret it later when he couldn't be with him.

"I…." Lovino choked out as he felt the warm tears flow down his face the longer he stared at Antonio.

"You what Lovi…?" Lovino shivered a bit at Antonio's gentle and caring voice that was whispered. Antonio leaned over, bringing Lovino's face closer before placing a gentle kiss on the Italian's cheek. Lovino felt a warm blush spread across his face as Antonio kissed him. This feeling was _definitely_ different than everything else he had been through.

"I…I…" Lovino started to say once again, feeling the words catch in his throat again as he stared up at the concerned Spaniard hovering over him. Lovino still couldn't say it but he wanted to. He wanted to tell Antonio so badly. His heart was slamming against his rid cage so hard that it was making his ears pound as well. Antonio gently smiled at him, patiently waiting for an answer.

_Can I really tell him?_ Lovino asked in thought as the tears continued to flow from his eyes. Antonio leaned down and kissed Lovino on the cheek again, somehow knowing what Lovino wanted to say and hoping to encourage him to say it.

"I… I l-lo…. I…."

"Yes Lovi?" Antonio asked sweetly as he placed his forehead against Lovino's. "You can tell me."

"I…..I-I…. l-lo….l-l-love… y…y-you…" Lovino stuttered as he finally spoke the words that he was trying to say.

"Do you really Lovi?" Antonio asked with a bit of surprise at the Italian's muddled confession. Lovino nodded, the tears still streaming from his eyes. Antonio smiled. "I'm glad."

Lovino smiled a bit at those words. He had been so scared to say them before, but now he was glad he did. Antonio gently brushed Lovino's tears from his face with his thumbs gently before gently pulling the Italian up closer and locking their lips together. Lovino slowly closed his eyes as he gently pushed into the kiss, making it deeper. Antonio's arms slowly made their way around Lovino's thin frame while the Italian's slowly wrapped around the Spaniard's neck, only making themselves closer to each other.

The two stood there, sharing a passionate kiss as the sun slowly started to set. Neither of them had known how late it was when they had left Antonio's house, but they also didn't care. They wanted to relish in the moment that they had and, to them, it seemed as if time had slowed down just for them. No one was around to see them and the two just wanted to stay in that moment. A moment where all worries had disappeared.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: End of chapter 9~ X3 There is still more to come~ So, I hope you enjoyed this chapter~**


	10. Chapter 10

Antonio and Lovino had made it into town with only a small amount of sunlight left in the painted sky. Antonio looked at the address that the letter had come from and swore he knew it but decided to ignore it for the time being since he was more focused on trying to get Lovino to the house Feliciano was at. They only had to walk for a few minutes before they came to a medium sized blue house with several windows and looked to be two stories.

"Looks like we're here~" Antonio sang as he stopped in front of the house, still thinking that it looked familiar.

"Yeah…" Lovino softly said with a nod as he held onto Antonio's hand. Antonio smiled as he looked down at Lovino.

"Are you scared?"

"A…A little…" Antonio softly laughed as he took the hand he held Lovino's hand in and kissed the Italian's.

"There's nothing to worry about Lovi~" Lovino nodded as he took a deep breath and slowly walked towards the door, his hand slowly slipping out of Antonio's. He walked up to the white door and stood there, staring at the ground.

Lovino took another deep breath before knocking on the door, waiting. He could hear some noise inside the house, followed by some voices before the door opened to reveal a light auburn haired young man with a curl on the left side of his head. He was wearing a simple light green shirt and loose black pants.

He stared at Lovino for a long time before a large grin appeared on his face. "Fratello!" he cheered as he quickly hugged Lovino into a tight hug. "It's really you~ I'm so happy to see you after all these years ve~"

"Ah… S-si…" Lovino replied softly as his brother hugged him. Lovino wasn't used to hugging at all, or at least not the way his younger brother was hugging him. "I-It's… good to see you too Feliciano…"

"Ve~" Feliciano sang happily as he continued to hug his older brother. Lovino stared at Feliciano for a few minutes before trying to pull away, but wasn't able to since Feliciano was hugging him too tightly.

"Um… F-Feliciano… can you let go of me?" Feliciano pouted but released Lovino from the hug. "G…Grazie…"

"Feliciano, who's at the door?" a slightly deep voice came from inside before a tall man with slicked back blond hair came into the door way. The man was muscular, mainly in his upper body, and wore a cream long sleeve button up shirt and black slacks. Lovino looked up at him and stared with fear in his eyes. The way the man looked made him remember that man with red hair and violet eyes. He could still see the smug look on that man's face.

"Ah~ Ludwig~ This is Lovino, my brother I've been telling you about~" Feliciano happily said as he turned towards the man. Ludwig looked over at Lovino which only made the Italian start shaking heavily. "F-Fratello? I-Is everything alright?" Lovino didn't answer. He continued to shake as he took a step back before his knees gave out on him.

"Lovi!" Antonio exclaimed as she ran up and caught Lovino before he could hit the ground. By this time Lovino had passed out, sending Feliciano into a panic.

"Ve! F-Fratello! W-what's wrong with him!"

"Calm down Feli," Antonio stated calmly as he lifted Lovino into his arms. "He just passed out is all." Feliciano looked at his brother worriedly. He didn't really know the reason why Lovino had freaked out but he wanted to, somehow, help him get better.

"C-Come in Mr. Antonio!" Feliciano insisted as he moved out of the doorway for Antonio to come in. Ludwig also moved out of the way.

"I told you to call me Antonio, Feli~"

"I-I know but…" Antonio softly chuckled.

"It's okay Feli~" Feliciano nodded as he lead Antonio into the living room so he could put Lovino down. Antonio did so and smiled a bit before turning to Feliciano and Ludwig. "I thought I had recognized the address, but I wasn't so sure."

"Ja…" Ludwig sighed. "So, where's bruder?" Antonio slightly froze at this question before letting out a nervous laugh.

"Um… W-Well… There was a bad storm and we got separated from the ship," Antonio explained as he looked over at Lovino. "I'm not really sure _where_ Gil and Fran are so…"

"I see. Well, I'm sure they're fine," Ludwig commented. "Would you like any tea or something else to drink?"

"Hm… some water is fine Lud," Antonio replied with a smile. Ludwig nodded as he turned around and headed out of the living room. Feliciano shuffled nervously as he stood near Antonio in the heavy, uncomfortable atmosphere.

"Um… W-Where was Lovino a-all this time…?" Feliciano finally asked after a long silence. Antonio looked back over at Feliciano.

"He was in Adalina," Antonio replied as he took out a small map and pointed to the small island on it.

"R-Really..?"

"Si."

"I-I see… So he's been where we've lived for the last 5 years…" Antonio nodded as he looked at the map and looked at the ocean. He looked at the spot where they had been swept away and sighed as he looked at a large mass of land that was close where they had been. It was labeled Basile.

_So, we were close to where Francis was born…_ Antonio thought as he continued to stare at the small map in his hand. _If only we could have made it there…_

"Is something wrong Mr. Antonio?" Feliciano asked, snapping the Spaniard out of his slight daze. He looked up from his map and looked at Feliciano.

"Hm? Oh no, nothing's wrong Feli," he replied as he put his map away. "I was just thinking about something is all."

"O-Oh…" Feliciano looked down at the floor again before looking back up at Antonio. "Um… C-Can you tell me where Lovino has been doing all this time?" Antonio shook his head. "W-Why!"

"I'm sure Lovi will tell you when he wants to Feli," Antonio replied. "It'd probably mean more if it came from him than from me, and I'm pretty sure Lovi would want to be the one to tell you." Feliciano looked at the Spaniard with slight amazement before giving a small smile and nodding.

"I-I guess you're right. Sorry for asking."

"It's fine~ I know you want to know about your brother's life but I can't be the one to really tell you."

"I-I know. I understand that a bit Mr. Antonio." Antonio sighed from Feliciano still calling him sir, but he couldn't really be the judge of that at the moment so he just nodded to Feliciano in reply. Now all they had to do was wait for Lovino to wake up again.

0-0-0

Lovino groaned as his eyes slowly opened to reveal a pure white wall like one would find in a hospital room. He blinked a few times before his eyes came into focus to find that he was one a tan couch with a small coffee table next to him and two medium-sized windows at the other side of the room from him. Lovino groggily sat up and found that a light blue blanket had been placed upon him.

"Oh… Fratello…" a voice said from the doorway. Lovino looked over the top of the couch and saw Feliciano walking into the room, mostly likely to check on the status of his brother. "How are you feeling?"

"Uh… I-I'm fine…" Lovino groggily replied as he rubbed his sleepy eyes with the palm of his hand. Feliciano smiled brightly before he bounced on his feet over to the couch, hugging his older brother once he had come around it.

"I'm glad you're okay~ I was scared when you suddenly passed out like that."

"S-Sorry…" Feliciano let out a soft 've' before pulling back and freezing as he looked at his blood stained hand.

"F-F-F-Fratello! You're bleeding!" Feliciano panicked as he stared at his hand with disbelief. Lovino looked away from Feliciano as he wrapped his arm around his rib cage and under his armpit before placing a gentle hand on where he was bleeding.

"It's nothing to worry about Feliciano…" he commented bluntly, not making eye contact with his younger brother.

"I-It's not alright!" Feliciano stated as he quickly ran out of the room. Lovino sighed as he took his hand off his wound and stared at his crimson stained hand. He wasn't entirely surprised by it. Feliciano was quick to return with a medical kit as he sat down on the couch next to his brother. "T-Take off your shirt so I can clean."

Lovino sighed. "Fine…" he removed his shirt from his back gently before turning towards Feliciano. The younger Italian slightly flinched as he saw the large, long, deep wound on his brother's shoulder and part of his back. Feliciano couldn't believe what he was seeing. The wound was bleeding but the sides of it were a dark purple color, almost black.

"T-This is g-going to h-hurt… okay…?" Feliciano warned as he took out powerful ointment to place on his brother's back. Lovino nodded in reply before feeling a surging pain coursing through his body as Feliciano placed the ointment onto his wound. "I-It's really infected… W-What happened, Fratello?"

Lovino looked down again as he remained silent for a long time. He knew he should tell his little brother about what happened to him after the war, but he didn't want Feliciano to think of him differently because of it. He didn't want his own brother to think of him as a disgusting person like he did with himself. Lovino knew it wasn't something he had chosen, but it still made him think he was a disgusting person. Now he kind of wondered what Antonio thought of him after learning what he was.

"Fratello?" Feliciano asked softly after a few long minutes of silence between the two. He was worried that he had said something that his brother didn't want to talk about. "Y-you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I don't… r-really have to know i-if it's too hard for you…"

Lovino shook his head, staying quiet for a few minutes before sighing. "No… I think you should hear what happened to me…" he commented. "But… not today…. I…"

"It's okay Fratello~ I understand~" Feliciano gave his brother a hug from behind again, making sure to avoid the wound. "I can wait, I don't mind~"

"Grazie Feliciano…" Lovino placed a hand on his brother's arm and continued to stare at the couch. He knew he wanted to tell his brother everything, but it was still too hard for him to even think about and try to keep himself from throwing up. He was out of that place but it still haunted his mind like it had happened yesterday. It would probably take him a few days to even _try_ to tell his brother.

"I'll get you bandaged up~" Feliciano sang as he gently pulled out of the hug. He took out the bandage and stood up before he started wrapping his brother's wound.

"Hey… Feliciano…?"

"Hm?"

"Who's the man you've been living with?"

Feliciano looked at his brother with confusion at first before smiling a bit. "His name is Ludwig~ He actually helped me out after the war."

"How did you get all the way out here though…?" Lovino asked. "Last time I saw you… you and Grandpa were running away…"

"S-Si… I'm not really sure of that really… We both thought you were behind us but then that explosion happened and the last time I really remember was Grandpa telling me to run. Then… I-I ended up here and Ludwig and his brother found me…"

"His brother?" Lovino asked as he slightly looked up at Feliciano.

"Si~ I'm sure you've met him since you were with Antonio." Lovino just looked up at Feliciano with confusion. "Um… G-Gilbert…"

Lovino groaned as he looked away from his brother. "_Him?_"

"S-Si…"

"Oh…"

"B-But Ludwig isn't anything like his brother…" Lovino looked over at his brother, seeing a soft blush appear on Feliciano's face. "H-He's really kind and strong and he's really hardworking."

"You like him… don't you?" Lovino asked. Lovino saw Feliciano's cheeks getting redder at the comment.

"Um… I-I guess so…" Feliciano mumbled. "I mean… He's been so nice to me and everything…" Lovino said nothing as he looked away from Feliciano again and sighed. There was something about Ludwig that he didn't like, but he couldn't really think of the reason at the moment. It was most likely because of the way it reminded him of that man from a few weeks earlier, before meeting Antonio. Though there was something else about the man that he didn't like despite that. Lovino figured he'd figure it out eventually.

"Oh…" Feliciano finally spoke as he shook off his blush. "Um… w-would you like to stay here tonight?"

"Hm…?" Lovino softly said as he looked up at Feliciano again.

"Please?" Feliciano looked at Lovino with begging eyes. "We can catch up and hang out." Lovino didn't say anything for awhile.

"I-I guess so…."

"Ve~ YAY~" Feliciano cheered. "I'll go tell Luddy~" With that, Feliciano scurried out of the room with a cheerful look on his face. Lovino watched Feliciano leave and smiled a bit at his brother's carefree nature, something that he was so envious about all the time. Sometimes he wished he could have that kind of carefree nature, especially when it comes to wanting to forget his past.

Though, the more he thought about it the more he felt like he _should_ tell Feliciano what happened to him today instead of some other time, but it was already night time out from the looks of the window and it probably wouldn't be the best idea in the world.

0-0-0

That night, Lovino tossed and turned in his sleep, sweating soaking his face. Lovino's breathing was heavy before his eyes snapped open from being jerked awake. Lovino stared up at his brother, a worried expression plastered on Feliciano's face.

"Fratello? A-Are you okay?" the younger Italian asked, his voice shaking from seeing his older brother in such a condition. Lovino just stared up at Feliciano, eyes wide and face pale. "Lovino…?" Lovino blinked a few times as he slowly snapped out of his daze, eyes slowly becoming small again.

"F….Felici…ano….?" Lovino shakily asked.

"S-Si… I-It's me F-Fratello…" Feliciano had a smile that was one of slight relief at his brother being alright. "A-Are you okay…?" Lovino sighed as he sat up.

"Si… I'm… I'm fine…"

"No you're not… You're covered in sweat and you're shaking." Lovino said nothing as he looked away from his brother. Feliciano sighed as he sat down on the bed and hugged his brother. "Please tell me what's wrong."

Lovino placed his head on Feliciano's shoulder and sighed. "I wanted to tell you this tomorrow…" he softly began to say. "But… I-I guess… I should tell you now… if you can stay awake through all of it anyways…"

Feliciano nodded as he hugged his brother a bit tighter. "Si… I'll stay awake through all of it Fratello. So, please, tell me what's happened to you." Feliciano felt like he was going to cry. He had always seen his brother as a stronger person when they were children and, now, seeing him like this, it was heart breaking. He wanted to know what his brother's life was like for the last few years.

"Well…" Lovino began as he sat back up, staring at his hands. "It all began after the war…"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Whoo~! Chapter 10 is finally out! ^^; Sorry for taking so long on this. I was kind of spacey the last few days... Entrance of Feliciano and Ludwig~! X3 Who didn't see that coming? Anyways, hope you enjoy~!**


	11. Chapter 11

Lovino, who was no more than 15 years old, was wandering through the broken streets of the town of Adalina. Most of the buildings had turned to rubble from the war and the streets had more cracks in it than the ocean floor. Lovino was worn out, bruised, and looked to be on the verge of death. Heavy black bags were present under his eyes from lack of sleep and he was so pale that even the purest white paint couldn't even compare to what he looked like. His clothes were even tattered to the point no return. The only thing that the Italian was carrying a small black bag that he was keeping close to him. Even when someone tried to steal it from him, he wouldn't give it up.

_Lost… everything…_ Lovino thought as he continued down the road. _Feliciano, Grandpa, mom, dad… all of them are gone…_

Lovino looked like nothing more than a soulless doll that was being controlled by his puppeteer. He didn't even know what the point to living was anymore. He had no family to go to, no friends. Nothing at all. Lovino didn't see any point of trying to even go on anymore. He had no purpose in life anymore, or at least not without his family. Lovino finally collapsed to the dirt ground, his eyes slowly closing.

"Hey, kid," a man asked as he stood over him. Lovino groaned as he looked up at the man. He was muscular and wore a dark brown, short sleeve shirt and loose black pants. "You shouldn't be laying on the ground like that."

"L-Leave me… alone…" Lovino said sternly yet weakly. The man sighed and shook his head.

"I can give you a job," the man said. Lovino just stared at the man, not saying anything. He was too weak at the moment to even comprehend anything at the moment. "If you want to know my name is Bernard. I'll give you a job if you don't want to die here."

"F-Fine…. I-I'll-" before Lovino could finish, he passed out on the street. He was so exhausted and so hungry that he couldn't hold out any longer.

When he woke up again, Lovino found that he was in a soft bed, something that he hadn't been in for such a long time. The soft sheets felt so nice that he didn't want to even move, though he couldn't really do that in the first place since he was so weak to begin with.

"Seems you're awake now," Bernard's voice came from the doorway. Lovino groaned as he shakily sat up that best he could. He saw the tall man standing in the doorway with a tray of food in his hands. "How're you feeling?"

"Weak…" Lovino replied weakly, his voice a bit hoarse. Bernard walked over to Lovino and set the tray on his lap.

"Eat. Once you're up to it then you can start working, but for now you should just rest." Lovino nodded in reply as he started to eat with a shaky hand. "I'll come back later to get the tray from you." With that being said, Bernard walked out of the room.

Lovino continued to eat but also began to wonder why he was even here in the first place. He knew he was going to agree to taking the job but he wondered why he was even bothering with it in the first place. It wasn't like he had any reason to since he had no one to work for or even use the money for. So what was the point? Lovino sighed as he remembered something that his grandfather had told him when he was a child.

"_Never give up on life because you never know what is going to happen in your life."_ Those were the words of his grandfather who always looked so young than what one would think. Even though his grandfather had been 75 years old, he still looked like he was in his early 30s. It was something that Lovino was envious about and hoped that something like that would happen to him as well.

It only took the Italian a few days to recover from his disaster. He was given some clothes to wear as well and walked up to Bernard, ready to start working that day. Of course, Bernard didn't hesitate to let Lovino know all the rules in the restaurant and let him know what he needed to do. Lovino, of course, took all of this into account. However, the one thing that Bernard didn't tell him was about having "customers" at night sometimes, though Bernard figured that it wouldn't be right then that something would happen.

It was only a few months after Lovino started working there that he was walking through the halls to get back to his room when he heard some voices coming from one of the larger rooms. He stopped and listened to them.

"You would seriously pay that much just for him?" he heard Bernard's voice coming from the room.

"Yes," another man replied. However, Lovino could hear a slight evil tone in the man's medium gruff voice. "That's how much I would pay for him for a night. You know why?"

"Why?"

The man laughed. "Because he's young."

"I see…" Lovino froze a bit as he listened to what was going on. However, the one thing that he didn't get was the whole 'for a night' thing. "So you'd wish to do him?"

"Yes. That is, if it's alright."

_Do…him..?_ Lovino asked in thought before it clicked what the two were talking about. He knew he was the youngest so he knew that they were talking about him. He shook his head when he finally realized why the other two that were there were sometimes walking a bit weirdly sometimes. Before he never would have gotten that, but now after hearing all of this he knew that this wasn't only a bar but a prostitution place. Lovino quickly ran down the hall and into his room. He grabbed the small bag that he had been carrying with him the entire time during and after the war before he quickly ran out of the bar.

However, he didn't go unnoticed. Something told him he didn't, especially when he heard footsteps behind him. Heavy footsteps that he remembered very well and knew _exactly_ who they belonged to. Bernard. However, before he knew it, he smacked into the ground with a loud _thwack,_ making him groan out in pain.

"You think you can leave just like that?" he heard Bernard ask in a deep, dark tone. "That's not something I can allow." Lovino felt himself being dragged back towards the man by the whip around his ankles.

"You didn't fucking tell me about this!" Lovino screamed at Bernard as he tried to keep himself from being dragged closer to his boss, but it didn't work. The only thing that he did was scratch himself up more than was necessary. "You told me nothing of-ah!" Lovino felt a foot slam into his back before weight was placed on it.

"You're going to just leave like that after everything I did for you? You can't escape from me." Lovino grunted a bit as the pressure on his back increased. "I think it's time for you to understand the situation you are in right now… Lovino Vargas."

Lovino's eyes slightly widened as he looked over his shoulder to his boss, seeing the malice and lust in the man's eyes. The Italian tried his best to get free, but it was no use. He couldn't get free. Before he knew it, Lovino was tied up by the whip and was slowly being dragged back to the building he had just left. He didn't want to go back to that dreadful place, but he had no choice. He wanted to run as far away from here as he could get. He wanted to be with his family but he also wanted to live.

Lovino had believed that Bernard was a nice man, just wanting to help him out since he had no place to go. If only he had figured it out beforehand, if only he had never agreed to it in the first place, everything would be fine. He wouldn't be in this situation.

Lovino hung from the ceiling from a rope that was tied around his wrists. It was painful to be hung like that and it was even worse with nothing but his under garments on. The crack of a whip could be heard behind him before he felt a sharp, burning pain in his right shoulder blade and part of his back. Lovino let out an agonizing yell as the whip dug into his skin not just once but four times in the same exact spot. He could feel warm blood trickling down his back from the wound.

"Now then," Bernard began as he snapped the whip. "Tell me you'll work for me and never try to run again." Lovino was silent before feeling another whip lash at his already bleeding wound. "Do it!"

"I…I…. promise to work here… a-and never… n-never run away…" Lovino weakly choked out and trying to bear the pain of his shoulder. He didn't really know much of what had just happened but everything suddenly went black in his vision from blood loss.

Though he would have rather stayed unconscious then see the next thing he did when he woke up. His shoulder burned even more as he was lying on his back, wrists tied to the head board. Lovino shook as he felt bare skin against his own. Punishment. He knew what it meant more than just being beaten. That same malice and lust look still in Bernard's but it was now mixed with a sliver of greed. The Italian knew _exactly_ where the look of greed was coming from. Bernard had become so overwhelmed with wanting more money that it took him over, moving him to do what was necessary to obtain it.

Lovino knew what was coming. He knew it. It was something he had dreaded since he had first heard that customer talking to his boss. It would happen right now. It would happen to him just like that, without his consent on the whole matter. It wasn't fair. He really believed that it wasn't fair to him, but what choice did he have? None. He had no say in the matter at hand. Right then and there he was taken without him being able to do anything.

Even after that he could still see that night of being a victim for the first time to sexual activities. He was even forced to walk around the next day even though he could barely move. Lovino was forced to walk around awkwardly and continue with these kinds of things for the next week. It made him want to puke but he couldn't, even though his stomach was twisted in several knots.

0-0-0

"That's… pretty much been my life since then," Lovino concluded his story as he kept his gaze down towards his hands as they fumbled nervously over each other. "Being used for other people's own needs and having to deal with it." Feliciano's face was completely pale at hearing his brother's story. The younger Italian never _dreamed_ of his older brother's life being so horrible. It made his stomach knot in more ways than one, making him want to puke his lungs out. No. He wanted to puke, cry, _and_ hug his brother all at the same time from hearing all of this.

Feliciano tried to speak, but Lovino was first to it. "I wouldn't blame you if you hated me and thought of me as a disgusting person… I wouldn't really be surprised if you did."

"N-No!" Feliciano finally exclaimed as he looked at his brother with a pained expression. Lovino didn't look up at his brother at all, he was still too ashamed to even do so. "I-I could never think of you as that! I…. I feel so horrible to hear all those things you had to go through these last 5 years…" Feliciano scooted closer to his brother and gently hugged him, making sure not to hurt his brother's wound. "D-Don't e-ever think that I would h-hate you for all of this…" Lovino placed his head on his brother's shoulder, closing his eyes.

"Grazie Feliciano…" Lovino thanked. He was glad he had Feliciano as his brother, even though the younger Italian could be a handful a lot of the time… or at least from what he had remembered.

Feliciano gently pulled out of the hug with a weak yet caring smile on his face. "Don't worry Fratello~ All that bad stuff is gone now, si?" Lovino nodded in reply. Feliciano nodded back before standing up. "I know! Would you like me to make you some warm milk to help you sleep better? Or some warm water?"

"No, but thank you."

"O-Okay…"

"Where's Antonio…?"

"Oh. He left for his house while you were taking a nap earlier. He said he'd be back in the morning though."

"I-I see…." Lovino softly murmured as he laid back down. "Night Feliciano…"

"Night fratello," Feliciano softly said as he left the room, quietly closing the door behind him. Feliciano sighed as he leaned against the door. Now he knew why his brother was having nightmares, but who could blame him? Compared to his life, Lovino's was torture.

_Fratello…_ Feliciano thought as he felt tears welling up in his eyes. He could see those images that his brother told him, flashing through his mind's eye. It was a horrible image and Feliciano didn't like it. The younger Italian darted down the hall and ran into Ludwig's room.

"Feliciano…?" Ludwig asked as he heard his door slamming open, causing him to sit up. Before he knew it, Feliciano was hugging him, burying his face into the German's chest and crying. "What's wrong Feliciano?" Ludwig didn't understand why Feliciano was crying, but he still didn't like it.

"I…I'm a horrible person…" Feliciano choked out in a sob. Ludwig sighed as he gently rubbed the Italian's back, trying his best to comfort him.

"You're not a horrible person Feliciano."

"Y…Yes I am! I…. I didn't try to ask someone… t-to…." Feliciano hiccupped a few times as he cried, tightening his grip on Ludwig. "…t-to try and get… f-fratello back s-sooner…. Fratello had to suffer s-s-so much… b-because of it…" Feliciano continued to hiccup as he cried.

"Feliciano, you're not a bad person for that," Ludwig commented. "You even told me that you didn't know if he was alive or not."

"B-But… if… if I had asked… f-fratello… h-he…"

"You can't do much about it Feliciano." Ludwig pried Feliciano off of him and gently raised the Italian's chin so he was looking at him. "You're not a bad person for thinking your brother was fine and you're not a bad person for sending a letter later than you thought to find him. He's here now and that's all that matters, ja?"

"S…Si…" Feliciano hiccupped as he buried his face back into Ludwig's chest. Ludwig always knew what to say to cheer him up, even when he still felt the need to say he was a bad person or something other than that. Ludwig was a good friend for wanting to help him, even when they didn't know each other so many years ago.

Ludwig had been there all those years helping him through everything. Taking him off the street and letting him stay in Gilbert and Ludwig's house, giving him food to eat, and even buying him clothes that he could wear. Ludwig even helped him relearn how to read and write _just_ for the purpose of sending a letter to find his brother. Ludwig was such a nice person, and this made his heart skip a beat. Feliciano had almost forgotten why he had fallen in love with Ludwig in the first place.

Not only was Ludwig generous, he was also strong and independent of other people unlike him. Feliciano had always needed someone to lean on. First it was his brother and now it was Ludwig, but he made him wonder if Lovino had anyone to lean on for support. Someone to help him through things like Ludwig had done for him. He figured it might be Antonio, but they had just met not to long ago so Feliciano figured that his brother _had_ no one.

_I'll be there for you fratello,_ Feliciano thought as he slowly started to drift off to sleep again. _I'll be there for you like you had been there for me as kids._

Feliciano was determined to make this happen. He would help his brother forget his past as much as possible even though he knew it would be hard. It was hard for even _him_ to forget what his brother had told him. He would try though. He would try his hardest for his older brother and make sure Lovino was happy after so many years. He would _definitely_ help his older brother. This much he was sure of.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: YAY~ Another chapter~ Hope you enjoy~ X3**

* * *

><p>"F-Fratello! Wait!" Feliciano called as his older brother walked out the front door and headed down the road towards Antonio's house. Feliciano was quickly on Lovino's heels within seconds. "Y-You should just wait for Mr. Antonio here…"<p>

"I don't want to!" Lovino yelled as he continued down the road. "It's already the afternoon and he's still not back!" Feliciano fell silent, knowing that Lovino was right. Antonio had said that he would be back in the morning and it was already late afternoon. Feliciano could tell that his brother liked Antonio like he liked Ludwig, so he just silently followed. However, as the two got closer, shouts could be heard, followed by the sound of a gun shot.

Lovino stopped in his tracks as his face paled three shades. Dread filled his heart, sending it sinking to his stomach. He feared the worse but Feliciano spoke up. "I-I'm sure it's nothing bad f-fratello…" he stuttered, even though he, too, was afraid that something bad had happened. Before anymore could be said, Lovino ran off. "Fratello!"

Lovino ignored his younger brother as he ran, turning the sharp corner before stopping. In front of him he saw Antonio and some other people who were holding down Antonio's father, who was struggling to get free from their grasps.

"I, Antonio Fernandez Carriedo, hereby place you, Enrique Abella, under arrest for murder, attempted fraud, and attack on the government."

"You'll pay!" Enrique growled as he was slowly pulled away. "You'll pay for doing this to your own father!" Antonio said nothing as he stared at the men taking his father away before looking down, his hat covering his face.

"You're not my real father…" he softly commented before looking over at Lovino who was standing a few feet away, heavily panting. A bright yet gently smile danced across Antonio's face. "Hi Lovi~"

"A….Antonio…." Lovino choked out through pants as he shakily started walking towards the Spaniard. Antonio waited a bit before walking over to the Italian in time to catch him before he fell to the ground.

"You shouldn't wear yourself out Lovi~ Don't want you getting sick or hurt~" Lovino was silent as he tried to catch his breath, his head on the Spaniard's lower chest. "You okay Lovi?" Antonio's voice was filled with concern for the Italian since he was breathing so hard. Lovino nodded in reply as he took slower and deeper breaths. Antonio waited for Lovino to catch his breath before placing a gentle peck on the Italian's lips.

"W-What's going on…?" Lovino asked Antonio as he finally caught his breathe and stood back up.

"It's nothing to worry about Lovi," Antonio softly said as he smiled at Lovino. "Just taking care of some business is all." Lovino looked up at Antonio with confusion. He didn't know _why_ they were taking his father away since he couldn't hear what Antonio was saying over his heavy breathing, but it seemed like it was a good thing, right?

"I…I see…." Lovino finally replied after a long silence, resting his head on Antonio's chest.

"You sure you're okay Lovi?"

"Si…"

"Well, if you say so~" Antonio placed a gentle peck on Lovino's head. Lovino hugged Antonio, his face still buried in Antonio's chest. He wished Antonio would tell him what was going on, but he also knew the Spaniard probably couldn't since it had to do with the government. "Lovi… we need to talk about something…" Lovino slightly tensed at the seriousness of Antonio's voice. The Italian's head slowly looked up at the Spaniard, only to peer into pools of green that held a seriousness but also a hint of sadness. Before Lovino could say anything, Antonio led Lovino into his house. Feliciano had gotten lost when following his brother so he was off somewhere else.

Antonio guided Lovino over to the couch before they both sat down. Antonio gently took Lovino's hands into his before looking the Italian in the eyes, amber meeting emerald.

"Lovi… I'll be going back out to sea again in a few days," Antonio finally began to explain. "Once Gil and Fran get here, I'll be leaving." Lovino's face paled as he heard this. Was Antonio leaving him? Antonio could feel Lovino slightly shaking, so he placed a gentle kiss on Lovino's hands before he continued. "I'll be gone for awhile, but I want you to stay here with your brother."

Lovino's head had dropped at this point, making it hard to see his face. "I… I want to… stay with you…." he softly stated as he squeezed Spain's hands a bit.

"I know, but I think it'll be better for you to stay here for awhile." Antonio smiled gently at Lovino again as he wrapped an arm lightly around Lovino's waist. "You've been through a lot and I want you to rest. Stay with Feli and you two can get reacquainted. Your body also needs to rest. It needs time to recover from everything that's happened to you the last few years."

"But…" Lovino began to say as he felt himself being pulled into a gentle hug by the Spaniard and a blush heating onto his face.

"I know Lovi, but it'll be dangerous and you need the time. I promise when you've recovered you can come with me." Lovino was silent as he buried his face in Antonio's shoulder. They had just gotten together and now Antonio was going to leave him? It didn't seem fair. He wanted to stay with Antonio. The only person he's known to be so nice to him, except for his brother of course.

Though, being without Antonio's two friends would be fine with him as long as Antonio stayed with him. Eventually, Lovino hugged Antonio back, just wanting to stay like that without anyone disturbing them. They did stay like that for awhile. Antonio hugging him, placing chaste kisses on his cheek once in awhile and Lovino just lingering in the moment, enjoying those kisses that were so gentle and innocent. It was so different to Lovino that he was still having a bit of trouble believing that they were from love and not lust.

"I love you Lovi," Antonio softly whispered in Lovino's ear. "That's why I don't want anything happening to you." Lovino didn't know how to answer so he just kept his head on Antonio's shoulder, hugging him. He wanted so much to beg Antonio to let him stay with him but he also knew Antonio was right. His body hadn't had the right nutrition like he should've had throughout the years. "Will you promise me that you'll work on getting healthy again while I'm gone?"

Lovino gently pulled out of the hug as he looked up at Antonio. "I will… i-if it's you… w-who's asking…" Antonio smiled as he took Lovino's chin and brought the Italian in towards him and placed a quick yet passionate kiss on his lips.

"Thank you Lovi. I promise that I'll only be gone for two weeks at most."

"When are you leaving?"

"Probably tomorrow."

"I see… Can I… s-stay here with you tonight?"

Antonio brightly smiled as he hugged Lovino again. "Of course you can Lovi~" Lovino blushed again before Antonio pulled away from him. "Are you hungry?" Lovino nodded as a kiss was placed on his forehead. "Alright. Stay here and I'll go make something." Antonio slowly stood up before sliding his hands out of Lovino's and walking into the kitchen.

_Stay here…?_ Lovino finally asked himself in thought. He didn't want to stay here without Antonio, but he also wanted to learn about Feliciano's life after the war. Though, to him, Antonio was more of his savior. Almost like Antonio was a guardian angel that had been sent to save him from his horrible life. How was he supposed to be away from him for a couple of weeks?

Lovino softly sighed as he laid down on the couch, slightly curling up and placing his head on a pillow. He still felt tired since he hadn't gotten much sleep last night. Even when he was done talking and Feliciano left, Lovino _still_ found it hard to get back to sleep. He had only gotten 2 hours of sleep before he just got out of bed that morning. He yawned before he slowly drifted off to sleep.

0-0-0

"…vi?" a voice softly said as Lovino was gently shaken awake. Lovino's eyes slowly opened before they came into focus to see Antonio kneeling down in front of him with a gentle smile on his face. Lovino blinked a few times as he stared at Antonio with a sleepy look in his eyes. "Food's done Lovi." Lovino groaned as he turned his head away from Antonio, burying his face into the pillow. "Come on Lovi~ If you sleep now you won't be able to sleep tonight~"

"Tired…." Lovino grumbled as he kept his face buried in the pillow. Antonio softly laughed as he picked Lovino up from the couch, carrying him bridal style towards the table. "W-What are…" Lovino's face turned crimson as Antonio carried him and set him down in a chair.

"I didn't have much, so I just made some pasta. I hope that's okay." Lovino stared down at the pasta, his eyes glimmering with surprise. It had been so long since he last had pasta that it was almost too good to be true that it was sitting right in front of him right now. "Ah! I-I'm sorry Lovi!"

"huh…?" Lovino didn't know why Antonio was apologizing until he felt something warm on his cheek. Tears. He hadn't even realized that he had been crying.

"I'm sorry… D-Did I upset you? If you don't want pasta, I-I can make something else." Lovino shook his head as he rubbed his eyes to get the tears out. "Are you sure?"

Lovino nodded. "S…Si… I'm fine…. I… I just…" Antonio stared at Lovino with confusion, not really sure what was going on. "I… I haven't had this i-in such a long time…" Antonio stared at Lovino for a few minutes before holding back his laughter, though it didn't work very well since it could still he heard. "W-What are you laughing at!"

"I-I'm sorry Lovi…" Antonio choked out as he tried to hold his laughter back. "I r-really thought y-you were crying about something bad…" Antonio took a deep breath before looking at Lovino with a bright smile. "I thought I made you think of something bad and I didn't want you to be sad." Antonio took Lovino's face into his hands as he placed his forehead against the Italian's. "I was scared that I had made you sad, and I didn't want that." Lovino felt himself blushing again before Antonio pulled away and sat down in his own seat. "Eat up Lovi~ There's more if you want it~"

Lovino nodded as he straightened out in his seat and started eating the pasta slowly, letting the flavors sit in his mouth as he did so. He thought it tasted so good even though it wasn't even the best he had had in his life. _That_ was how long he had gone without it. Lovino felt like he was in a dream as he ate the food. Antonio happened to catch a glimpse of Lovino's expression as he ate his own plate of pasta, which wasn't really his favorite, and smiled at being able to make his lover happy.

_My…lover…_ Antonio commented in thought, making him blush at the very thought. Never in his life did he think that Lovino would be his lover. It seemed too good to be true even though he knew it _was_ true. Antonio looked back over at Lovino who was still enjoying his food, making the Spaniard smile at seeing the glimmer in Lovino's eyes. It made him happy to know that the Italian was happy.

Antonio sighed happily as he continued to eat his food. By the time the two were done eating, Lovino had had 4 plates of pasta while Antonio barely finished his one.

"You look happy Lovi~" Antonio cooed happily. Even though the expression of Lovino's face didn't show it, Antonio could tell that Lovino had been satisfied with the food.

"S-Si…" Lovino replied with a blush heating up on his face. "I… Pasta is just my favorite food is all…"

"Oh really~?" Antonio's expression brightened when he heard this. "Then I did a good job~ right~?" Lovino looked up at Antonio to see the Spaniard smiling brightly in anticipation for an answer, almost looking as if he were a love struck puppy.

Lovino slightly snorted as he tried to hold back laughter at the Spaniard's expression. "S-Si… you did good A-Antonio…" Antonio smiled even brighter at this as he took the plates to the sink. Lovino slightly smiled at Antonio, glad to have made him happy but Lovino _also_ wanted to repay the Spaniard for everything that he has done him. However, the only way he knew how to do that was through sexual activity and Lovino didn't even _know_ if Antonio would want to since he did so much to get him _out_ of that situation already.

"Lovi~" Antonio's voice snapped the Italian out of his thoughts as he looked up at the Spaniard holding out a small container to him. "He heard from Feli that you like this~" Lovino blinked in confusion as he took the cold container from Antonio's tanned hand and looked down at it before his eyes slightly widened.

"G…..Ge….." Lovino's words were caught in his throat as he tried to utter the words but couldn't.

"Si~ Gelato~" Antonio smiled happily. "I got some _just_ for you~" Lovino continued to look down at the container that contained his favorite Gelato, still unable to fathom how much it meant to him to receive this from Antonio. Lovino felt a few tears escape his eyes as he continued to stare at it. "Lovi? It'll melt if you don't e-"

As Antonio knelt down to see what was wrong with Lovino, the Italian's lips met with his in a passionate kiss. Lovino's arms had been slung over the Spaniard's neck as he kissed him. Antonio returned the kiss but didn't try to take the front end of it and didn't kiss back as hard so Lovino could have control of the situation himself. After several minutes of pleasurable kissing, Lovino pulled away from Antonio, breathing heavily. Antonio breathed heavily, but not as much as Lovino.

"Lovi," Antonio softly whispered the Italian's name as he placed a gentle kiss on Lovino's cheek. "You okay?"

"S…Si…." Lovino replied as he set the gelato down and stood up before taking Antonio's hand and started taking him upstairs.

"Lovi? Your gelato's going to melt." Lovino stopped before quickly placing the ice cream back into the freezer before continuing with pulling Antonio upstairs. Antonio was confused on what was going on, but he knew he's find out when they got there.

Lovino pulled Antonio all the way into the Spaniard's room before closing the door and forcing Antonio to lay down on the bed. Antonio, at first, didn't understand what Lovino was doing until the Italian slowly removed his shirt.

"Lovi…" Antonio softly said as he grabbed the Italian's shoulders. "You don't have to do this. You don't have to force yourself." Lovino looked into Antonio's emerald eyes, his own amber eyes glimmering.

"I'm not forcing myself…" Lovino softly spoke as he kissed Antonio on the lips again. "I want to… I want to do it…" Lovino wasn't lying, Antonio could tell. A gentle smile danced across Antonio's face as he gently pulled Lovino into another kiss.

"Alright Lovi. Go head mi amor."

0-0-0

Lovino looked at the sleeping face of his lover as the Spaniard slept. He smiled at the fact that he could satisfy Antonio in his own way. Though, throughout, he had begged Antonio to do more but, for once, it felt good to be the one on top and controlling his own actions, even though he was still the one being in pain. Lovino slightly moved, cringing as his hips burned. It had been awhile since he had done _any_ sexual activities and it hurt because of that. He looked back up at Antonio who was sleeping peacefully in the bed.

_Antonio…_ Lovino said in thought as he gently brushed the Spaniard's hair from his tanned face. This didn't seem to disturb him, which made Lovino gently smile more. Lovino was finding it hard to sleep, but he didn't care since he could gaze upon the sleeping figure next to him. However, before he knew it, Antonio moved closed and wrapped comforting and warm arms around him. Lovino blushed a bit, thinking that Antonio was awake but knew he wasn't when he could hear the gentle and steady breathing coming from him. Though, somehow, the Spaniard's warm embrace and soothing scent were enough to help Lovino fall asleep.

Lovino found it wonderful that he could fall asleep to someone so kind, caring and yet so beautiful and sexy. It was something he _never_ thought would happen. Lovino slightly smiled again as he realized it.

God had truly sent him a guardian angel.


	13. Chapter 13

Lovino woke up and found Antonio still sleeping next to him. By the way the sun was hitting the curtains he could tell that it was already around mid-afternoon. His gaze went back to the sleeping Spaniard next to him, wondering why he wasn't awake yet. Lovino brushed the Spaniard's bangs from his tanned face before letting them fall back into place.

_He looks peaceful…_ Lovino commented in thought as he stared at Antonio with soft amber eyes. As his eyes slowly closed, Lovino felt himself being brought into a warm embrace, making his eyes open again and found himself looking into pools of emerald.

"Aw~ Lovi~" Antonio smiled gently as he caressed the Italian's cheek. "You look so beautiful when you sleep~" Antonio wanted to say that he was cute, but he had already promised the Italian that he wouldn't call him that. Lovino's cheeks heated up from the comment, making Antonio softly laugh and gently peck Lovino on the lips.

"H-How… long have you been a-awake?" Lovino asked in a stutter from embarrassment, mostly from Antonio's comment.

"For awhile~ I just didn't want to wake you up~"

"O-Oh…." Antonio softly laughed again as he placed a soft kiss on the Italian's forehead.

"How are you feeling Lovi?"

"I-I'm alright…."

"Aw~ That's good my love~" Antonio cooed as he kissed Lovino on the lips again, this time a bit longer. "Would you like me to bring you that gelato now~?" Lovino's blush deepened as he nodded in reply. Antonio nodded back and carefully slid out of the bed, putting some clothes on before walking out of the room. Antonio walked with a slightly hop in his step and almost fell down the stairs because he was so happy, but he didn't let that dampen his spirits.

As the retrieved the ice cream and started to head back upstairs, a knock came at his door. Antonio cocked his head to the side with confusion as he walked over to the door, opening it to reveal Gilbert and Francis standing there.

"Gil~ Fran~" Antonio brightly smiled but it was soon gone as he saw the serious expressions on his friends' faces. "Something wrong?"

"Antonio… we need to talk," Francis commented with a serious tone. "It's about Lovino…"

"Lovi?"

"Ja…" Gilbert replied with a nod. Antonio nodded as he let his friends into his house before looking down at the ice cream he promised Lovino.

"I'll be right back! You can just sit on the couch," Antonio said as he walked up the stairs and into his room. "Lovi~" Antonio knew he couldn't sound upset or serious around Lovino right now, not when he had said he was going to leave yesterday.

Lovino groaned as he slightly turned towards Antonio. "huh…?" he softly asked, groggy since he had fallen asleep for a little bit again. Antonio slightly chuckled a bit as he walked over to the bed and helped Lovino sit up comfortably.

"Here you go Lovi~" Antonio said as he placed the gelato and a spoon into Lovino's hand. "I need to talk to Fran and Gil for a bit, so will you be alright up here until I get back?" Lovino nodded as he opened the gelato and started to eat. With a quick peck on the Italian's cheek, Antonio left the room, closing the door behind him.

_I wonder what they need to talk to me about…_ Antonio wondered in thought as he slowly made his way back downstairs. Antonio walked into the living room where Gilbert and Francis were sitting, waiting quietly for Antonio's return. With a soft sigh, Antonio walked into the room and sat down across from his friends, a serious expression sweeping across his face.

"What do you need to talk to me about?" Antonio finally asked in a serious tone. Whatever it was, Antonio knew that it _had_ to be serious if it involved Lovino. Gilbert and Francis exchanged glances at each other before looking at Antonio.

"Toni… Bernard Ackland is looking for Lovino," Gilbert commented. Antonio slightly froze at hearing this before shaking it off.

"He can't get him back. We're part of the government, he can't have him bac-"

"He has a higher level government agent working for him Tonio," Francis interrupted his friend. "And I'm pretty sure you know who I mean." Antonio's expression grew a bit darker as his friend said those words.

"Arthur…." Antonio said with distasteful hatred. Francis and Gilbert nodded to this. None of them had ever liked the British man. Arthur Kirkland had been one of the people who had disproved of Antonio's section of the government. The Britain had felt like it was just a useless way to spend money and didn't want to see it formed. However, he only approved of it _after_ higher ups agreed that anyone involved in it would be of a lower rank.

"Toni, you know what this means, right?"

Antonio nodded. "We'll be charged with a high price for taking Lovi…" his voice was soft and almost distant like. Antonio's head had dropped down so he was now looking at the floor. He couldn't bear having Lovino taken away from him, _not_ when the two had gotten this far in their relationship. He knew Lovino didn't want to leave him either. "How long do we have until they get here?"

"We would have to leave tomorrow," Francis replied as he looked at his friend with worry. No one was expecting something like this to happen. All three of them had thought that Lovino could stay with Feliciano while they were doing their work, but now this wasn't the case. It was either bring Lovino with them or let the Italian get captured by Arthur.

Both Francis and Gilbert knew that Antonio would choose to bring Lovino with them, but both of them were nervous about doing that kind of thing. The two exchanged glances again before looking back at Antonio who still seemed lost in his own world.

"Toni…" Gilbert finally spoke up after an eerie silence filled the air. "Have you told him your secret?" Antonio slightly looked up at Gilbert before shaking his head, making Gilbert and Francis look at each other again.

"Mon ami… you want to bring him with, oui?" Francis asked as he looked at the Spaniard with a slightly serious expression. Antonio nodded in reply, which was the answer the Frenchman was expecting. "We don't mind but… you might have to tell him about your secret…"

"I can't…" Antonio softly stated. "I can't tell him… I don't even remember when it happens…"

"You have too Tonio. He has to know."

"I can't!" Gilbert and Francis were both taken a back by Antonio suddenly shouting. "He'll hate me… I… I can't tell him…." Gilbert and Francis fell completely silent at this. Neither of them could say anything after Antonio had said that since they knew how much Antonio didn't even _like_ talking about it. It wasn't only that though. Both of them knew Antonio was right. Antonio never _could_ remember anything when it happened.

"Alright Toni…" Gilbert sighed as he stood up. "We understand, but you better get ready to leave tomorrow with him, and you _better_ tell him about all of this." Antonio said nothing as Gilbert and Francis walked out the front door.

Antonio buried his face into his hands. He couldn't believe that this was happening. Just yesterday he had finished telling Lovino that he should stay behind and now he had to tell Lovino that he had to come with or he'd be forced to go back there again. Back to Adalina where Lovino was forced to do things he didn't want to do. Antonio wouldn't let that happen, not to his love.

The Spaniard sighed as he ran his hands through his hair, keeping them there for awhile before they slid to his side again. Antonio stood up and looked out the window for a minute before heading upstairs towards his room. He would have to tell Lovino. Antonio walked into his room and walked over to the bed to see that Lovino had fallen asleep again, making the Spaniard smile a bit. He couldn't believe he would have to tell Lovino about this. Antonio shook his head a bit before gently shaking Lovino.

"Lovi…" he softly said. "Lovi… I need to talk to you…." A soft groan came out of the Italian's throat as amber eyes slowly opened. Lovino shifted until he was facing Antonio, a sleepy look still in his eyes.

"What is it…?" he asked, sounded like he might kill Antonio for waking him up. Antonio softly smiled at Lovino before picking the Italian up slightly and sitting down where Lovino had once laid. He placed Lovino onto his lap so the Italian was leaning up against him.

"Lovi… Please listen, okay?" Antonio softly asked as he hugged the Italian. Lovino looked up at Antonio, confused on why the Spaniard sounded so desperate about this. "Your old boss… he's trying to look for you to bring you back to Adalina…"

"W-What!" Lovino seemed to pale at this thought. He didn't want to go back to that hell hole that he had gotten out of not too long ago. Antonio held Lovino a bit tighter.

"Don't worry Lovi… I won't let them take you away. I know I said you should stay here to get healthier but you'll have to come with me so they don't find you." Lovino looked down, saying nothing. He was glad he would be able to stay with Antonio, but he also wanted to know about Feliciano's life too. He hadn't seen his brother in so long and now he would have to leave him again.

"Okay…." Lovino finally spoke in a whispered tone. Antonio placed a gentle kiss on Lovino's head.

"We'll be leaving tomorrow. We can get you some clothes to take with you while we're here, and we can get medicine so you don't get extremely sick again." Lovino nodded in reply as he closed his eyes, his head still laying on Antonio's chest. It seemed like everything was trying to be taken away from them.

For once Lovino really thought he could live peacefully without having to worry about anything, but he was proven wrong. Fate was turning against him again. Antonio placed his forehead on Lovino's head. He didn't even know if it was going to be safe to bring Lovino along with them, especially when he, Gilbert, and Francis had to take care of some stuff in the most dangerous area of all. The Northern continent called Zhenya. Antonio knew that was one of the most dangerous places _anyone_ could go to, even if they were in the government.

"Antonio….?" Lovino finally spoke after the long silence that lingered between the two.

"Yes Lovi?" Antonio asked without moving his head.

"I… want to see Feliciano before we leave…."

"Alright Lovi… do you want to do it now?"

"Si…" Antonio nodded as he set Lovino back on the bed before walking over to his closet to see what Lovino could wear that could fit him fairly well. Antonio walked back over to Lovino and the Italian a plain white shirt and a pair of black slacks.

"I'll go make something to eat for you," Antonio commented. "Then we can go, okay?" Lovino nodded as he watched Antonio leave the room before his gaze averted to the ground. He wondered how Feliciano was going to react to all of this.

His brother would probably freak out and cry, trying to cling to him and beg for him to stay. Feliciano had always done that kind of thing when they were children when Lovino was trying to run away from the house so he could be alone by himself. He slightly laughed as he remembered Feliciano crying and crying _"Pwease don't go Fwatello!"_

Sometimes Lovino missed those times. Missed his own family even though he didn't get along well with his dad and, sometimes, his grandfather, but he still loved them no matter what. His mother he would always forgive when she told him _"I'm sorry Lovino"_ since she was nice. Though, with his mother's condition, Lovino really felt like he couldn't stay mad at her for a long time.

Lovino sighed as he got dressed, ignoring the pain that was radiating through his hips. It wasn't as bad as it could've been with going without sexual activity for awhile, but it was enough to make him walk a bit slower than before. He was used to it though, walking even though he was in pain. He was forced to do it a lot anyways. He looked at himself in the mirror and sighed as he looked down again.

There was no way he was going to go back there. He'd rather die than go back to that place. With those final words in his head, Lovino walked out of the room.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Eh... This isn't as long as I wanted it to be, but that's where I thought it would be good to stop for the time being with this chapter.**

**YES! Plot Twist~ o3o Don't you just love plot twists? I know I do~ **

**Anyways, hope you enjoy this chapter~ X3**

**And, I must say, thank you again to all my lovely supporters through all of this~ o3o You guys really make me want to continue writing this with all your support~**


	14. Chapter 14

"W-What!" Feliciano exclaimed as he stared at his older brother with both shock and confusion. He couldn't believe that his brother was going to be leaving so soon after he had gotten here. "B-But…" Feliciano could feel tears forming in his eyes as he stared at his brother with disbelief. Why was his brother leaving so soon? Lovino looked down to keep from looking his brother in the eyes. He didn't want to see his little brother crying since he was going to leave.

"I'm sorry Feliciano," Lovino softly apologized. Feliciano looked down as he clenched his hands, gripping his pant legs. Feliciano wanted to tell his brother so much about his life. He wanted to make Lovino his favorite foods and just get to know his brother.

"W…When are you l-leaving?"

"Tomorrow morning…."

"T-That soon?"

"Si…" Lovino felt bad that he would be leaving his brother so soon since he had wanted to get to know him, but he didn't want to go to that hell hole again. That was the _one_ place he didn't want to end up back in. Feliciano felt his tears finally flowing out as he looked up at his brother, trying to smile even though he was crying.

"T-Then w-will you wait for me to b-bring you something i-in the morning?" Feliciano asked. Lovino looked up and looked at his brother in confusion.

"B-Bring me something?" he asked, seeing both surprised and flattered that his brother would do something like that for him. Feliciano nodded as he tried to wipe the tears from his eyes.

"I… I want to b-bring you something…. P-please?"

"Alright… I'll wait for as long as I can Feliciano…" Lovino knew that he wouldn't be able to wait for long in the morning, but if it meant that much to Feliciano he would wait. Feliciano smiled as brightly as he could at his brother.

"Grazie fratello!" Lovino nodded as his brother hugged him. He didn't try to push him off though. He knew Feliciano wanted to hug him and, after all, this was probably the last that they would see each other for awhile. "I-I p-promise to… to be there i-in time!"

Feliciano was sobbing by this point. He had waited so long to see his brother again and, now, he was being taken away from him again. Lovino, eventually, hugged his brother back in a means to comfort his little brother. Again, he didn't like to be hugged since it brought back painful memories, but he would cast those things aside for his brother. It _was_ his brother after all. Even when they were children, Feliciano always seemed to know when a hug was needed and when one wasn't. That was the weird thing about Feliciano, or at least to Lovino it was.

"Lovi," Antonio softly said as he walked into the room where Feliciano and Lovino were. "We need to go if we want to get you some clothes." Lovino looked over at Antonio and nodded before looking back at Feliciano.

"Feliciano… I have to go…" Lovino commented. Feliciano sniffled with a nod before pulling away from his brother.

"P-Promise?" asked the younger Italian as he held out his pinky to his brother. Lovino nodded as he linked his pinky with Feliciano's, making the younger Italian smile with his brightest smile of all. It made him happy that his brother would make a promise with him after so many years. "Ve~" The younger Italian hugged his brother again before running upstairs. Lovino was a bit confused but only stood up and walked out of the house with Antonio.

0-0-0

Lovino sighed as he waited for his brother to come, wearing the pirate outfit that Antonio had given to him. Antonio, Gilbert, and Francis were making the final preparations before setting sail. Lovino was starting to wonder if his brother would be coming at all with this long wait.

"Lovi…" Antonio said as he walked up to the Italian with a regretful look on his face. "It's time to go." Lovino sighed as he looked back out to where Feliciano was going to come from before turning towards Antonio.

"…kay…" Lovino sighed as he followed Antonio towards the ship. Lovino wondered where Feliciano could be. If it was something important to Feliciano to give him something, then why was his little brother breaking his own promise? It didn't matter now since he was going to be leaving.

"F…Fratello…!" Lovino heard a weak voice call for him, making him stop and turn towards it. Though he didn't like seeing Ludwig standing there but his face paled as he saw his brother being carried by the muscular German.

"F-Feliciano!" Lovino ran over to where his brother was, standing on the side so he could see Feliciano but was concerned when he saw his brother's cheeks flushed red. "A-are you alright?"

"Ve…~ I-I'm okay…" Feliciano softly replied as he kept his head on Ludwig's back with a weak yet sincere smile on his face. Before Lovino could say anything, Feliciano handed him a medium-sized package with a closed envelop attached to the top of it. "T-This is for you f-fratello…"

"G-Grazie Feliciano…" Lovino took the package from Feliciano, making sure the envelop wouldn't fly away. "Just get better, okay?" Feliciano smiled with a nod before covering his mouth and coughing. Lovino patted his brother on the head before walking back over to Antonio and slightly turning towards Ludwig, glaring at him. "I swear that if you let anything happen to my little brother I'll personally come and give you a piece of my mind!"

Ludwig sighed. "Understood…" he wasn't going to argue with Lovino since he had promised Feliciano he wouldn't. Lovino glared at Ludwig for a few more seconds before following Antonio onto the ship.

"Ciao Fratello…" Feliciano softly said as he weakly waved to his brother. Lovino slightly turned and waved back before getting onto the ship. Feliciano smiled as he watched the ship slowly set sail out of the harbor.

"Feliciano…."

"Yes Ludwig?"

"You didn't want him to go, ja?"

"I didn't…"

"Then why didn't you just beg him to stay?" Ludwig asked, wondering why Feliciano didn't insist that his brother stay, especially since Feliciano and Lovino hadn't seen each other for such a long time. Feliciano snuggled into Ludwig's back, making the German blush a bit at it.

"I… could tell that Fratello... needed to go…" Feliciano softly replied as he slowly started to drift off to sleep. "I… could just… tell…" With those last words Feliciano fell asleep against Ludwig's back. The German smiled a bit. He didn't blame Feliciano for falling asleep. He _was_ sick after all. He turned around and headed back to the house.

0-0-0

"Are you going to read the letter Lovi?" Antonio asked as he walked into his room where Lovino was sitting on the bed, staring at the present his brother gave him. Lovino said nothing as he continued to just stare. He wanted to open it, but he couldn't read so there wasn't really any point to it. "Lovi?"

"No…." Lovino finally replied after awhile.

"Why not? Feli worked so hard to make it for you." Antonio was confused on why Lovino didn't want to open the letter. He would've thought that Lovino would enjoy reading the letter that his little brother wrote and got sick over. That's when it clicked. "Lovi…" Antonio walked over to the bed and saw on the edge of it. "…can you not read?"

Lovino looked away a bit but nodded. "I-I can't…." Once again Antonio had a look that it was the worse thing in the world. He hugged Lovino, rubbing his back.

"Ah! That's so horrible mi amor!" Lovino said nothing as Antonio hugged him. With the thickness of the letter, Lovino knew Feliciano wrote a lot that night. It was probably also Feliciano got sick in the first place. "Would you like me to read it for you?" Lovino shook his head. "I-I see…"

Antonio seemed to understand why Lovino didn't want him to read it. After all, it was a letter from his brother and there were probably important things in there that he wanted to read himself. Antonio stood up as he looked over at his table there before smiling cheerfully and turning back to Lovino.

"Would you like me to teach you to read?" he offered brightly. Lovino looked up at Antonio.

"T-Teach me…?" Lovino asked, seeming slightly confused.

"Si~ I can teach you to read if you really want me too~" Antonio seemed extremely happy to say this. It'd give him an excuse to spend more time with Lovino if the Italian agreed. Lovino was silent for several minutes.

"C-Can you..?"

"Of course~" Antonio hugged Lovino again. "I'd be more than happy to~" Lovino blushed as he nodded. He was glad that he would be able learn how to read again. He didn't really know _how_ he was able to keep himself from not _needing_ to read for things.

Lovino remembered when he _was_ able to read that he would be beat for doing so, being told that he needed to learn to tell what they were without reading it. That took a few days to actually get the hang of and it was a brutal time as well. Now he'd be able to learn to read again, which was even better. Though, he hoped that they wouldn't be caught since he didn't want to be back in that hell hole. He knew that he would probably keep wondering how long he'd be able to hide, but he would try to keep himself from being found. He wanted to stay with Antonio and not be back to people using him like before.

"I have to go back outside Lovi," Antonio commented as he took Lovino's hand and placed a gentle kiss on it. "But I'll come back a little later."

"O-Okay…" Lovino mumbled. Antonio nodded as he set Lovino's hand back down before exiting the room. Lovino stared at the door that Antonio had gone through before opening the package part of Feliciano's present. Inside was a hand knitted scarf, gloves, and hat that were all white. They were fairly well done for seeming like they had been made in a hurry.

Lovino smiled a bit as he looked down at them. _Stupid Feliciano…_ he thought with a slight teasing. He held them close to him. _Grazie…_

Lovino yawned as he laid down on the bed, still holding the present close as he slowly fell asleep. His brother was still the same and was happy, that was all that mattered to him right now. Hopefully all of this would be over with so he could go back and talk with his brother someday.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Not as long as I was originally going to make it, but I thought it was a nice short sweet chapter. So~ I ended it with it being on that note.**


	15. Chapter 15

Zhenya was just up ahead as the ship slowly came up to the harbor. Since it was so far north, it was covered in snow and bitter cold compared to most other places, which made it even more amazing that the water near the harbor wasn't frozen. It had taken them a week to get there and, by now, they had to be a great distance from being found out where they were at the current moment, or at least so Arthur couldn't find them.

"C-Chigii…." Lovino shivered as he had the blanket around him tightly, even over his head. It was freezing cold and not even Antonio's heavy blankets were getting rid of it. Lovino swore he was going to freeze to death.

"Lovi~" Antonio sang as he walked into the room. "Uh…? Lovi?"

"W-What?"

"Are you cold?"

"W-What g-gave y-you t-that i-id-d-d-dea?" Antonio said nothing as he walked over to his closet and started digging around in it before pulling out a heavy coat. He then walked over to Lovino and pulled the blanket off the Italian before quickly placing the jacket on him, closing it up as fast as he could.

"That better?" Antonio asked sweetly as he looked at Lovino with an innocent look. Lovino nodded, feeling _much_ warmer than he had been before. Antonio smiled as he placed another kiss on Lovino's cheek. "Do you want to come walk around with me? Francis and Gilbert said that they can take care of our business here by themselves."

"It's alright… I think you should join them…" Lovino replied. "I'm still kind of tired…"

"Hm… you didn't sleep well last night, did you?"

"No… I didn't…" Antonio nodded as he kissed Lovino passionately on lips before standing back up.

"Alright Lovi," he said. "I'll go with Gil and Fran so try to sleep, okay?"

"Kay…." Lovino yawned as he laid back down, pulling the blanket up to his waist and keeping the coat he had on. Antonio smiled at Lovino before walking out of the room. Antonio sighed as he walked up to Gilbert and Francis.

"I'll be coming with you two," the Spaniard commented. Gilbert and Francis nodded in reply. Both of them were a bit surprised the Antonio would want to come with them, but they knew there was probably a reason for it so they wouldn't argue.

The three walked off the ship wearing heavy coats and boots so they could walk without freezing. The town they walked through was small but the one thing that stuck out was the large mansion at the top of a hill. Unlike the rest of the small houses, the mansion was well built and spanned at least 13,000 square feet. Not to say the smaller houses in the town weren't well built, the mansion just looked like it was spent more time on than the houses.

"That's it, right?" Antonio said as they stopped at the bottom of the hill from the mansion. Gilbert and Francis stood on either side of the Spaniard, looking up at it as well.

"Oui… that's it," Francis replied. "That's where he is." The three stood there for several minutes, looking up at the mansion.

"Let's go."

0-0-0

"Praveet?" a young woman with platinum blond hair asked as she opened the door to the large mansion, sapphire blue eyes looking at the trio outside. Francis stepped forward and took the woman's hand.

"Bonjour mon cheri~" Francis greeted with a smile. The woman pulled her hand away before the Frenchman could kiss it like he normally did.

"Oh… Praveet Mr. Francis. Please don't be like that towards me, I'm engaged…" Francis sighed as he nodded.

"oui… I understand Maria. We're here to see your brother." The woman opened the door more to reveal more than just her head. She had a broad chest and was wearing a flowing, dark blue skirt and a button-up white shirt.

"Ivan?" Maria asked with confusion as she fixed her blue headband. "He actually just stepped out. You're more than welcome to come in and wait though."

"We'll wait," Gilbert commented as he stepped forward as well. Maria nodded as she let the three inside. She quickly closed the door before guiding them to the living room.

"Would you like any tea or coffee?" Maria asked as she watched the three take off their coats and sit down.

"Hot chocolate if you have it," Gilbert commented, the other two agreeing with a nod. Maria nodded back before walking off. Gilbert, Francis, and Antonio all looked at each other, wondering why Ivan had suddenly gotten up and left his house. The Russian normally didn't do that, so something must've been up.

0-0-0

Three hours. Three hours they had to wait _just_ for Ivan to come back. The Russian was tall, wore a heavy trench coat, and had platinum blond hair. Where he was for three hours will always be a mystery to the Bad Touch Trio since Ivan wouldn't tell them where he was _at all._

"Ah-ha! So what do I owe this visit?" the Russian asked with an innocent smile on his face. The three looked at Ivan with serious expressions. They _hated_ when Ivan acted innocent, though they _did_ prefer that over his darker demeanor.

"Cut the crap!" Gilbert growled. "You were supposed to have gotten a letter on the issue we were coming to discuss with you."

"Da, I did. I just don't see what the big deal is."

"The kind of punishment you're _allowed_ to give is minimal," Antonio commented with a serious expression and tone. "You're only allowed to put someone in jail or given them work punishment, but you're not allowed to _kill_ anyone." Ivan's expression turned slightly darker than before at hearing this.

"What I do in my governing territory has nothing to do with the likes of you three," the Russian stated bluntly. "You may have to come investigate what was going on here, but you don't actually have the power to do anything."

"That is not true you bastard and you know it!" Gilbert growled as he stood up. Francis grabbed Gilbert's arm and forced him to sit down. They didn't need any trouble at the moment. Gilbert growled as he glared at Ivan.

"Ivan, you may feel that way but that is not true," Francis commented, trying to be the one to stay calm so Ivan wouldn't be provoked to do anything. Ivan smiled, but it was of a darker manner. He pulled out a single piece of paper and held it up for the three to see it.

"I'm sorry… but as of a few weeks ago I outrank you. So you cannot tell me of the affairs that I can and cannot do since, as of a few weeks ago, I can." The Bad Touch Trio stared in shock as they looked at the paper. It was true, I outranked them now. Of course, the one thing Antonio noticed was the handwriting on it.

_Arthur…_ Antonio thought as he stood up.

"Fine…" the Spaniard softly yet sternly said. "Sorry to have wasted your time Ivan." Antonio looked towards his two friends. "Let's go." With that being said, Antonio strutted out of the room, placing his jacket on before walking outside. Francis and Gilbert followed after their friend, leaving Ivan in the room alone.

The Russian smiled as he stood up, walking out of the room himself. He headed down an empty hall with white walls and up to the single door there.

"We'll be meeting again…"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Urgh... why can't I get chapters the length I want! Do I like Cliffhangers _that_ much? I mean... Ah... never mind. I hope you enjoy this short chapter.**

**Yes... Russia and Ukraine appear and Russia appears for a good reason. You'll be seeing him in the next chapter as well just FYI**

**Also, thanks for all the reviews~ o3o They really mean a lot to me~ **gives everyone a present** Please continue to R&R  
><strong>


	16. Chapter 16

Antonio sighed as he walked through town with Francis and Gilbert walking beside him on each side. It was starting to get dark and colder as the two walked. None of them wanted to really talk since they all pretty much knew what the other was thinking. What did Ivan do to get promoted? The three returned to the ship, but it wasn't as lively as it had been when they left.

"What happened here?" Gilbert asked sternly. The crew glanced towards the three before looking away, which only made the three captains confused. That's when Antonio saw it. His eyes widened as he saw his door smashed in, making him dart towards it. Antonio walked in and his emerald eyes grew even more when he saw his room messed up. Papers were scattered, the bed was messed up, and even the closet door was smashed in. Antonio felt his heart shatter when he saw Lovino no where in sight before it clicked.

"Ivan…" Antonio growled as his hands clenched into fists before he opened a secret door in the wall and pulled out a large battle axe. He was going to make Ivan pay for kidnapping Lovino like that. He would go there, bust down the doors, and demand Lovino to be returned to him. Antonio walked back out of his room with a dark expression on his face, making Francis and Gilbert slightly freeze in place before blocking Antonio's way.

"Toni! Don't do this!" Gilbert commanded as he stared at his friend with a stern look but also a slight frightened look in his crimson eyes. Francis nodded in agreement as a bead of sweat rolled down his face.

"Tonio, you know what'll happen if-"

"Get out of my way…" Antonio darkly interrupted Francis as he looked at his two friends with dark emerald eyes. "He had no right to come onto this ship and take him. I'll make sure he learns his lesson." Gilbert and Francis looked at each other before sighing, stepping out of Antonio's way. Both of them knew not to mess with Antonio when he was like this and had his battle axe in his hands. "Get my door fixed while I'm gone…"

With those final words, Antonio walked off the ship and headed back towards Ivan's house, having little trouble this time trying to get up the hill this time. Once there, without warning, Antonio used his axe and busted the door down. Maria let out a terrified scream as she had been close to the door but, luckily, didn't get hurt at all. Antonio glared daggers at the woman.

"Tell me where Ivan is…" the Spaniard ordered, not being in the mood to deal with anything right now. However, before Maria could say anything, a soft laugh came from the top of the stairs.

"I knew you'd be coming back here," Ivan stated as he looked over the oak railing of his large house. Antonio glared at Ivan this time. "Ah-ha! So he means more to you than I thought he did!"

"Release Lovino this minute…"

"Hm…. I don't think so."

Antonio placed to hands on his axe, readying himself. "I'll give you to the count of three to hand him over Ivan, or else I'll kill you."

"Bad choice. You do know what happens if you attack or kill a higher up, da?" Ivan's innocent exterior was starting to piss Antonio off. He wasn't in the mood for Ivan's games and, _definitely,_ wasn't in the mood to be told something he knew already. At this point, he didn't really care. Though, Ivan said nothing more on the matter as he snapped his fingers.

"You called big brother?" a younger woman with long dark blond hair asked as she walked out with Lovino's neck locked with her arm and a knife to the Italian's back. Lovino struggled to get free from the woman's grasp, but he wasn't strong enough to do so.

"You still wish to try to do something Antonio?" Ivan asked with a dark appearance on his face. "Personally, I don't care what happens to him but I was told to get him from you by Arthur."

"What! How the hell does he know I have him!" Antonio yelled angrily, his grip tightening on his axe. Ivan laughed with a cheerful smile.

"He went to that house his brother was in." Ivan's expression became darker once again as he continued to smile. "It was easy to get information out of someone when they're tortured and killed." Antonio's eyes widened when he heard this. "And if you don't believe me…" Ivan threw Antonio a tape recorder that was placed at a certain spot.

Antonio stared at it before pressing the play button on it. At first there was nothing but silence, but noise slowly came from it.

"_V-Ve! L-Ludwig…"_

"_What do you want here!"_

"_I am here to retrieve Lovino Vargas."_ Antonio recognized this voice as being Arthur's; the snide British voice was enough to give it away.

"_He's not here!"_ Antonio could tell by the sound of Ludwig's voice that the German was trying to protect Feliciano from something. What, though, he had no idea.

"_Is that so…? Then where is he?"_

"_I'm not tell you anything…"_

"_Heh… I'm sorry, but you don't have a choice in the matter."_

The sound of a gun cocking could be heard, which made Antonio freeze in place as he continued to listen. He knew he should stop listening since he could see that Lovino was even more scared than he was, but he felt like he couldn't move at all.

"_V-VE! D-Don't! Please! I-I'll…"_

"_Don't Felicia-"_

Antonio's eyes widened even more when he heard the gun fire, cutting off Ludwig's sentence.

"_L-LUDWIG! P-Please… S-Stop!"_

Feliciano was crying now. His sobs could be heard clearly from the recorder. Lovino was listening, feeling like something bad was going to happen to his brother and, even though he didn't like him, Ludwig. Lovino didn't want anything to happen to the two. If Ludwig made Feliciano happy, Lovino couldn't care at the moment. He hated Ludwig for some reason but he didn't want the German to die either. Not like this.

"_Heh! That'll bloody teach you to disobey me… I could care about you more than a fly. You're just a nuisance. Now…"_

"_NGH!"_

"_Tell me, Ludwig Beilschmidt… where is Lovino Vargas?"_

"_S-STOP! I-I'll tell you! Just… please…s-stop… hurting Ludwig…"_

"_Don't tell him Feliciano!"_

"_L…Ludwig…?"_

"_If that's how it is."_

Another gun shot was followed before Feliciano let out a terrifying shriek. This made Antonio's heart freeze for a few seconds before returning to normal. The gun was cocked again before Feliciano let out a sobbed cry. Lovino couldn't take it. He hated hearing all of this.

"_Now then… tell me where he is or I shall kill you as well…"_

Lovino felt sick. Hearing all of this was making him turn pale to the point he felt dizzy and wanted to puke. This was too much for him. He didn't want anyone dying because of him.

"_H…He's… Luddy! NO! I won't tell you! Ludwig did nothing and you killed him!"_ Feliciano's voice sounded threatening, angry. It was something unusual for the younger Italian but Lovino seemed to understand why though. _"I won't tell you anything! Kill me! But everyone will just learn how corrupt the main government really i-"_

Another shot was fired, followed by the sound of a body crumpling to the floor.

"_You two are pathetic… Love is nothing more than a fleeting illusion."_

"_L-Lud..dy…"_

"_Feliciano…"_

Feliciano's and Ludwig's voices were soft yet they seemed so clear and raspy.

"_Luddy… I…I love you Luddy…"_

"_Ja… I-I love you… Feliciano…"_

"_Lovino…w-will be safe w-with A-Anto…"_

"_Ja…"_

The two voices ceased as the sound footsteps walking could be heard.

"_Antonio huh? Fine… I know where they're going anyways…"_

Silence filled the recorder again, which set Lovino into a shrieking mess and set Antonio into a dark murderous mood. He was already upset with Ivan kidnapping Lovino, and now Arthur was trying to take Lovino away from him. He wasn't going to let that happen. Within seconds Antonio had crushed the recorder but, surprisingly, not the tape that was in it. He place that into his pocket and, within that second, he had already attacked Ivan who, in turn, blocked it with an iron pipe.

"So… you choose to disconnect yourself from the government," Ivan stated as he moved back. "Natalya!" The woman nodded as she released Lovino and attacked Antonio from the back whom only stabbed the pointed back of his axe into her stomach, making her let out a grunted sound of pain before collapsing and falling down the stairs.

"NATALYA!" Maria screamed as she saw her sister a bleeding heap on the bottom of the stairs. Maria lifted her sister up, crying as she felt no life coming from her. "Please stop!"

Antonio ignored the begging, crying woman that held her sister's lifeless body in her arms. Ivan took a step away from Antonio, knowing something bad was going to happen. The murderous intent radiating off of Antonio was even stronger than his own at this moment. For the larger Russian, he was scared. Scared of this shorter Spaniard that wielded the battle axe with one hand like it was nothing more than a bat.

"Go…" Antonio began before his head snapped up, revealing pitch black eyes instead of emerald ones. "...to hell!"

Before Ivan had any time to react, Antonio cut the Russian across the chest with his axe. Ivan grunted as he flew backwards from the sheer force before his body crumpled into a bleeding heap. Maria screamed again as she ran off, not wanting to be killed by Antonio. Antonio panted before his, now, emerald eyes widened. He shook as he dropped his axe and took a step back. It happened again. In fear of Lovino being killed, he quickly turned around and saw Lovino laying there, unmoving.

"L…Lovi…" his voice quietly shook as he walked over to the Italian, feeling for a heartbeat. There was one. Lovino had only passed out. Antonio picked Lovino up into his arms and kept his head down, crying. "God… what have I done…?"

Antonio quietly left the house, making sure his battle axe couldn't be found, before walking back to the ship. He was covered in blood since he had tried to bury Ivan and Natalya's bodies but couldn't bring himself to do it. The two deserved it. No. Antonio knew they didn't deserve _this_. Those two didn't deserve to _die_. Ivan was just following the orders of Arthur and, to him, it seemed like Natalya was just following after her brother.

"Toni…" Gilbert softly said as he saw his friend walking back like he had been broken into a million or more pieces. Antonio walked up to his two friends, handing Lovino to Francis.

"Please… Francis… let Lovi sleep in my bed…" the Spaniard softly said. "I… can't look at him right now…" Francis nodded as he took the unconscious Italian and walked back onto the ship. "Gil… I-I need… to… let me use your recorder… I… need you to listen to something…."

"Alright…" Gilbert was having a hard time trying to look at Antonio with the way the Spaniard looked so pained and broken. He had _never_ seen Antonio look like this. Not for a long time. The two returned to the ship and went into Gilbert's room. Antonio had a hard time trying to get the tape into recorder since he was shaking so heavily, so Gilbert did it himself and let Antonio sit.

As he listened to the recording, after rewinding it of course, Gilbert felt his heart sink and shatter at what he was hearing. His brother was dead, along with Feliciano. The two did nothing wrong and yet they were killed by Arthur.

"Gil…. I killed Ivan and his younger sister…" Antonio softly commented once the recording had finished. Gilbert looked down as he heard this, closing his eyes.

"I see… It was your other self…. Right…?" Gilbert asked, keeping his voice equally as quiet.

"Si…" Gilbert sighed as he looked up at Antonio who had his head down. "Gil… I think it's getting worse…" Gilbert remained silent as he heard a choked sob come from the man in front of him. "I'm sure that, if I hadn't snapped out of it, I would have killed Lovi and Maria… and then I probably would've killed you and Francis…"

"Have you told him about this secret yet?" Antonio shook his head in reply since he was crying too hard. "You need to Toni… If it's getting worse like you say… he has to know."

"I-I know Gil… but I'm scared… I don't want Lovi hating me!" Gilbert said nothing as he stood up, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Would you rather him find out about it himself and hate you for the rest of your life?" Gilbert softly asked, already knowing the answer. Antonio shook his head in reply again. "Then tell him when you're ready. You _need_ to Toni."

"…alright… I-I know Gil… Gracias…." Gilbert nodded as he stood back up and looked over at his bed.

"Stay in here for tonight," Gilbert commented. "Take the bed. I'll sleep on the floor." Antonio slightly looked up at Gilbert for the first time in awhile.

"Gracias…. You're a good friend Gil…"

"Of course I am! I'm _awesome_ that way!" Gilbert commented with great confidence, trying to lighten up the mood a bit. Antonio scoffed at this, feeling only slightly better from it.

"Si… how could I forget…~" Antonio replied, his voice cracking from crying so much. Gilbert grinned like he usually did before it faded to a small smile.

"Just get some rest, ja? We can't really go back to the government after all of this…" Antonio looked down and nodded, knowing that was true. "…not like I would want to after all of this…" Antonio looked up at Gilbert.

"huh…?"

"Remember… I only joined the government to give money to Lud…"

"R-right…"

"Might be kind of fun though~" Gilbert commented with a laugh. "I wouldn't want to work for Arthur anyways. He's too damn snide. Or at least ever since he became the head of the government." Antonio said nothing as he stood up and walked over to the bed. "Night Toni…"

"Night Gil…" Antonio softly replied as he collapsed on the bed and fell asleep. He would have to tell Lovino, he knew that. He didn't want to but he knew he had too. Tomorrow. He would do it tomorrow.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Two in one day, aren't you guys happy? oAo;;**

****flees from people** Dun hurt me for this! PLEASE! I was crying my eyes out while I wrote this. It ipained/i me to do this! D|**

**H-Hope you enjoy... I dunno when the next chapter will be out.**

****dodges gun shots****


	17. Chapter 17

He couldn't do it. Antonio couldn't go take to Lovino about everything that had just happened. What if the Italian came to hate him once he had told him? What would he do without Lovino? So many questions ran through Antonio's head as he leaned on the railing of the ship. He was in another world since he was both tired from lack of sleep and debating whether he should tell Lovino about his secret. Even though he had told Gilbert he would, he just couldn't do it. They were a couple though and couples don't keep secrets from each other, right?

Antonio sighed as he placed his head on his arm, looking at the glimmering blue ocean in front of him. They had gotten a good distance from Zhenya even though it had only been a day since they had left. Antonio knew he _should_ tell Lovino about his secret, but was right now really a good idea? The Italian had just heard that his only living relative had been killed for no reason what so ever. It was just so mean for Lovino to have lost Feliciano like that. What was worse was that Arthur had actually _recorded_ all of it just to prove a point. That made Antonio both sick and angry. He was going to teach Arthur a lesson someday. They were no longer part of the government after what he did, so it's not like he had restrictions like he had had before.

"Antonio…." A familiar Italian voice said. Antonio stood up and slightly turned to see Lovino standing there, looking at the floor and a saddened expression on his face. Antonio felt his heart sink at seeing this. "W…We…. I need to ask you something…."

"Alright Lovi… I'll hear you out."

0-0-0

"Bloody wanker… how long do you plan on laying there?" a British voice commented sternly as he stood near the body of Ivan. The frown on the Russian formed into a smile as he sat up.

"Ah-ha~ I didn't think you'd be able to tell I was still alive," Ivan commented as he looked up at the blond haired man above him. The man was wearing a long sleeve white shirt, tight blue pants tucked into calf high boots, and a red jacket with blue and gold cuffed red sleeves and gold trimming long red jacket. He didn't even seem to be affected much by the cold weather since he wasn't wearing anything heavier than that. "You're very perceptive Arthur." The Britain sighed with annoyance as he stared down at Ivan.

"You better know your place. Do not address me by that name."

"Da… Mr. Kirkland." Ivan looked over at his sister and tapped her. "Natalya, you can get up now." The woman's blue eyes slowly opened as she looked over at her brother before sitting up with her usual neutral expression on her face. "You alright Natalya?"

"Da… I'm alright big brother," Natalya replied. "He only got the paint pack that I placed there." Ivan nodded as he stood up and looked back down at Arthur.

"Well, what did you find out about Antonio's ship?" Arthur asked as he looked up at Ivan with a stern expression on his face.

"They were here until yesterday night," Ivan replied with a childish smile. "They have been gone about a day." Arthur nodded as he headed inside, placing his black hair with a white feather sticking out of it back onto his head.

"You better not mess up next time you bloody wanker. The next time you mess up I'll kill you myself and, this time, you'll _stay_ dead."

"Da… I understand Mr. Kirkland." A dark aura started to appear around Ivan as he watched Arthur walked off. "One day you won't be around yourself." Natalya took out a knife as she took a step forward.

"Do you want me to kill hi big brother?" she asked.

"No… We'll let him find his own demise. It'll be more fun that way, don't you think?" Natalya's hand lowered as she nodded.

"What about big sister? She ran off to that fiancé of hers. Shall we tell her that we're still alive?" Ivan was silent as he heard the front door slam shut as Arthur left his house.

"No… She doesn't need to be involved in this." Natalya nodded as she placed her knife back up the sleeve of her black trench coat. She would listen to Ivan no matter what since she wanted to marry him. She didn't even care that they were related, but she wasn't going to try anything. Or at least not at the moment she wouldn't try anything. Even Natalya knew when and when not to try something with Ivan.

"What shall we do now big brother?" Natalya finally asked after the long silence that lingered between the two. Ivan smiled as the dark aura that surrounded him grew even stronger than before.

"We'll follow _Mr. Kirkland_ and watch from a distance," Ivan replied. "Sounds like fun, da? We can watch him fall into the pits of despair." Natalya nodded as she followed after Ivan who started walking towards the front door. She believed that it would be fun to see the snide, arrogant Britain to deserve what he was sewing in place for himself. A smirk appeared on her face as she imagined the images. Yes. This was something she _wanted_ to see.

0-0-0

"It was Arthur…" a young man said as he stood up from the ground from where he was inspecting. He was wearing a nay blue jacket which was over a long sleeve white shirt and a light blue tie was around his neck. He was also wearing navy pants which were over a pair of black boots.

"Him again?" a soft voice asked. "Alfred… Arthur's getting out of hand… you know wha-" Alfred slightly turned to the man and nodded. This man looked almost like Alfred but had a bit longer and wavier hair and was wearing a black jacket with matching pants and a white shirt underneath with a white tie around his neck.

"I know Matthew…" Alfred sighed as he looked towards two bodies in front of him. Ludwig and Feliciano. He knelt down and looked at the two. "I know what needs to be done…" Alfred looked at Ludwig and Feliciano before his blue eyes widened. "Matthew! Call a medical team now!"

"Eh? W-why…?"

"Just do it!" Matthew nodded as he quickly ran out of the house. Alfred looked back towards Ludwig and Feliciano, surprised that the two were still breathing with the wounds that they had and how much blood they had lost.

_But how…?_ Alfred asked himself as he looked at the two, though he highly doubted they would live very much longer. He could hear the two breathing faintly and it sounded rasped. It was a miracle that the two were even still alive.

_Arthur… I swear I'll put you in your place soon…_ Alfred closed his eyes as he stood up. _It's time that you actually learned your lesson once and for all._

0-0-0

"Are… you scared Lovi?" Antonio asked worriedly as he saw the Italian's pale face. He didn't try moving from his spot on the bed as Lovino was a distance from him, but not far enough to where he couldn't touch him if he wanted to. "I won't blame you if you are."

"I…I…." Lovino choked out, fear showing in his voice. Antonio looked away from Lovino, his head dropping so he was looking towards the ground. He expected this kind of thing to come from Lovino so he wasn't surprised when the Italian couldn't answer his question. "H-How… long has this… b-been going on…?"

Antonio shook his head. "I don't know… I only found out about it when I was actually assigned this ship with Gil and Fran…" Lovino was silent for awhile before he shakily crawled back over to Antonio and hugged him from behind, placing his head on his back.

"I…I'm scare… b-but… I-I love you… s-so…. I-I want to try to… to get used to it…" Antonio could hear the heavy shaking coming from Lovino's voice but smiled as he took one of Lovino's hands and kissed it.

"Gracias mi amor…" Antonio softly said as he placed another kiss on his lover's hand. He was glad Lovino was trying so hard to make him happy, but he didn't know how good that would do at this point. What would happen if he ended up killing Lovino while he was in that state? Or do something else to him? He could never forgive himself if he did something that hurt Lovino. He promised he wouldn't hurt Lovino no matter what.

Lovino and Antonio stayed like that for awhile, the two completely silent. To them, if one spoke it would just break the wonderful moment that they were having. They also felt that, if it was broken, something bad would happen. It had taken a lot of strength for Antonio to tell Lovino what he had wanted to say. As the day dragged on, it turned into night and the two still hadn't moved until they laid down. They held each other as they slept, neither speaking a word as they drifted off to sleep. Tomorrow they would wake up and it would be different than before. They would act as if nothing had ever happened.

They would act like everything had been perfectly fine even though it wasn't. Act like there were no worries even though there were. Yes. Tomorrow would be different than before. Completely different.

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><p><strong>AN: and before you say anything, yes, this was how long I was planning on making this chapter. It's short and sweet and ends this kind of arc I guess you could call it.**

**yes, this was how I was planning on having this chapter go, it wasn't because of the comments. I started writing this before I got comments about how chapter 16 went.**

**Anyways, enjoy.**

**I made the preview thing so I hope it looks alright. I thought it would look good so, I hope you guys think so as well.**

**Again, enjoy this chapter.**


	18. Chapter 18

It had been three months since the incident at Ivan's place. While Antonio helped Lovino learn how to read and write, they were also keeping out of sight of Arthur. They had changed to a smaller ship that the four of them could handle by themselves, and they got new clothes. They were now on their way to the best area known for swords craft. Mariko. Lovino didn't understand why new weapons were needed when the ones that Francis, Gilbert, and Antonio had were perfectly fine. He had even been told a story about the sword that Antonio had.

Apparently the sword was Antonio's real father's sword that he had left to Antonio's mother when Antonio was still a young child. Lovino had heard that it was special to Antonio because it was from his real father, so why would he want to get rid of it? It was something that Lovino didn't understand. As they arrived at the port, Francis watched the boat while Gilbert and Antonio, along with Lovino, went to go switch out the weapons. Gilbert left the two do exchange the guns, leaving Antonio and Lovino to take care of the swords.

The two walked through town before coming across a small sign that said _Black Smith_ on it. Antonio scanned the area before he and Lovino walked inside, the sound of banging and clanging echoing the air.

"Hello?" Antonio called when he saw that no one was in the front to help them. The clanging continued on for a few minutes before it stopped and a man with short black hair walked out. He wore a grey shirt and pants with a black smock on and a grey bandana tied in his hair.

"Hello," the man said with a slight bow. "I am Kiku Honda. How may I help you?"

"I'd like to exchange these swords for new ones," Antonio replied as he took the sword off his belt after handing the other two to Kiku. Kiku looked over the two that were given to him and nodded as he set them against the wall before returning with two new ones, placing them on the counter. Antonio then handed his sword to the man who looked at it before his eyes widened a bit.

"This is a wonderfully made sword. Are you sure you wish to get rid of it?" Kiku found it surprising that Antonio would want to get rid of a sword with such a great quality to it. Though, he also spotted an engraving on it that said 'Follow your heart Antonio. Never let your dreams falter' but he wasn't going to say anything about this to the Spaniard in front of him.

Antonio nervously laughed. "I-I have some reasons for parting with it…." he nervously commented. He really didn't want to have to part with it, but he had to for now. Kiku looked at Antonio and nodded.

"If you want I can keep this here and you may come back to get it when you can." Antonio looked at Kiku with a bit of surprise.

"R-Really?" Kiku nodded in reply to the Spaniard who smiled. "Si. That would be nice if you could do that for me."

"Of course," Kiku said as he looked at the sword again before disappearing into the back and coming out with two swords. "The quality of your sword is more than what I have, so I shall give you two instead of one."

"Gracias~" Antonio smiled brightly as he picked up the two swords before setting one down and attaching the other one to his hip. "Do you have any short swords?"

"Yes, I do. Is there something wrong with this one?" Kiku looked over the sword Antonio had set down, not really seeing any problems with it. Antonio waved his hand dismissively as Kiku started looking at the sword.

"No, No. It's just… he's never used a sword before." Antonio pointed over at Lovino as he said this. "It's a little heavy for him so…"

"I see…" Kiku seemed to understand what the Spaniard was talking about as he looked over at Lovino. "One moment please." Kiku took the sword he had brought out and disappeared into the back again. The Japanese man returned a few minutes later with three different short swords. "Have him try one of these."

Antonio nodded as he looked over at Lovino. "Come here Lovi~" Lovino looked over at Antonio before nodding and walking over. Antonio handed him one of the short swords that he felt was the lightest out of the three. Lovino took it and looked at it, not really sure what he was supposed to do with it. "How does it feel Lovi?"

"Um…. Alright…." Lovino replied as he continued to stare at the short sword with the black sheath and handle.

"Is it too heavy for you?"

"A bit…."

"That will come with using it," Kiku commented. Antonio nodded in agreement as he looked at Kiku.

"We'll take the one he's holding," the Spaniard commented. Kiku nodded as he placed the other two short swords away before coming back out and taking a look at all the swords to make sure that they didn't need to be sharpened. Luckily, none of them needed to be.

"Alright, it seems that you should be alright," the Japanese man commented. "Bring them back to me if they ever need to be sharpened."

"Will do~" Antonio looked towards Lovino and smiled before looking back at Kiku. "Thanks~" He handed Kiku a few coins before grabbing the other two swords and gently pulling Lovino with him out the door. Lovino glanced back at where Kiku had taken the sword before he was guided out of the door.

Lovino couldn't believe that Antonio was leaving it there. Antonio had told him how Antonio had met his real father the day after he had received it. There was more to the story, but Lovino couldn't remember most of it for some reason. He looked towards the ground before stopping, making Antonio stop and turn towards the Italian.

"Lovi? Is something wrong?" Antonio asked with slight concern.

"Why….?" Lovino softly began.

"Hm?"

"Why are you getting rid of it? I-I thought… you…." Antonio gently smiled as he hugged Lovino, gently rubbing the Italian's back.

"Lovi… I need to get rid of it…. I don't want you taken away from me." Lovino was silent. "I'll be found out from that. If I have a different sword, I can at least pretend that I'm not me when I need to."

"But…. You've already given up… s-so much for me…" Lovino could feel tears trying to escape from his eyes. "I-I should… be…"

"No Lovi…." Antonio's voice was slightly stern as he pulled away a bit, lifting Lovino's chin. "You don't need to give up the precious items that you have from your family. You can't give those up. It's all you have left to remember them. It's the same reason I won't let Gil get rid of his iron cross or the pin he normally wears. He got those from Ludwig." Lovino's tears fell from his eyes as Antonio said this. It was true. The items he had were all the things left from his family since they were dead. Antonio held Lovino close again as his lover cried into his chest. He knew Lovino thought he shouldn't give up things for him, but Antonio also knew that his real father was still alive.

After a few minutes, Antonio and Lovino returned to the ship. The Spaniard gave the other two swords to Gilbert and Francis before making sure they had everything. Once he had finished with that, the four set sail once again. Lovino sighed as he walked into the room and sat down in his spot, picking up the thick envelop his little brother had given him. He didn't really find much of a point to opening it now since Feliciano was dead, but he wanted to know what his little brother had written. After the three months of studying that Antonio did with him, he could read well but he still had a bit of trouble with the writing. Lovino took a few deep breaths before he finally opened the envelop and removing the pages from it. After a few moments of hesitation, Lovino finally unfolded the papers and read it.

'_Dear Fratello,_

_It's been so long since we saw each other and now you're leaving. It makes me sad to know that we can't talk to each other. I'll write to you about the life I had after we were separated. I know it's not a bad life like yours, but I just want you to know about my life so you don't have to worry._

_I still don't want you to think I don't care about you, so I made you some gloves, a hat, and a scarf so you can have them. I know it's not really much, but I thought you might like it. I still can't believe that so many bad things happened to you after the war. If made me want to cry too. I never thought you would have such a hard life like that. That man was just so mean to my fratello in tricking you! I just wanted to ask Ludwig to go beat him up for you!_

_Um… anyways, I'll start telling you about my life now. Again, it's not a horrible life like yours so I don't really know how it'll make you feel, but I hope you don't feel different towards me once you hear it. I don't want you to be mad at me for my life compared to yours. Anyways…_

_After the war, I don't really remember much besides collapsing. When I woke up I found myself in Ludwig's house. According to Ludwig, I was dehydrated and I was hurt badly. It took me nearly two weeks just to recover because of it. I know it may seem a bit harsh, but it really wasn't. Ludwig took care of me the entire time. After that I wanted to help Ludwig out to repay him but he said he didn't need me to, so I just stayed with him until I could figure something out._

_Five months later I met his brother Gilbert. He… was a little scary at first when I met him. He kept saying that I looked cute and that I should go out with him and it scared me. Though it took me a really, really long time to realize that he was only joking because Ludwig told me he had someone he liked. I was relieved about that, that's for sure._

_Eventually me and Ludwig became friends and he let me stay with him since I had no place of my own to go to since I didn't know you were alive. The last thing I had remembered before I lost track of you was Grandpa pulling me with him and my hand slipping from yours. After that I don't remember what happened. I'm sorry. I wish I could tell you if Grandpa was still alive or not. I wish I knew if mom was still alive too…_

_That's about my life. It's not very exciting and isn't as bad as yours, but now you don't have to worry if I had a horrible life or not~ I really do want you to come back fratello. I really have missed you. I want us to hang out like we used to as kids. If you're ever back in town then please come visit me~ You can even bring Mr. Antonio with you to~ I noticed that you seem to like him.'_

Lovino blushed at reading that. He didn't think he was being obvious about liking Antonio. Though, if anyone knew, he was fine if it was Feliciano knowing. He smiled as bit as he continued on with what was written in the letter.

'_I hope you stay safe fratello and, please, try to eat well. I noticed that you were thinner than when you were a kid and also compared to me. Get healthy again so we can have fun together~ I don't want my brother to be passing out if we were to have fun~ heh-heh~ Anyways… I hope you will write back to me sometime so I can see how you're doing. I'm so glad you're alive and I hope you will find time to ask Mr. Antonio to come see me~_

_-Feliciano-'_

Lovino felt tears flowing down his face again as he read the rest of the letter. How was he suppose to write back or even come visit if his brother was dead? The Italian flopped his head into his pillow to keep himself hidden so no one knew he was crying. His brother had put so much work into making the letter and now he was dead. Why did it have to be like this?

Lovino had just seen his brother a few months ago and now his little brother was dead. He didn't have any family left at this point. Antonio was the only one here for him now. A hiccup escaped Lovino's throat as he tried to keep himself from crying. He didn't like crying, though it seemed to be a habit now with everything that had been happening.

Lovino wouldn't admit it, but he was scared on what would happen if they were caught. Antonio could be killed along with Gilbert and Francis, though he didn't care as much about them as Antonio, and he would be sent back to the hell hole Antonio had helped him escape from. He didn't understand why this was happening at all. Sure, he knew Bernard wanted money but he didn't understand why he had to have him for it. The man could make enough money like he wanted without needing Lovino, right?

The Italian sighed as he kept the tears slowly cease. He was getting tired of crying now but, right now, he had needed it since he had read the letter from his brother. He wished that his brother hadn't been killed like that. He would want whoever killed him to pay and, for that, he felt like he would need to learn how to use his short sword that Antonio had gotten for him.

Lovino looked at the short sword and slowly fell asleep. He would ask Antonio to help him tomorrow. Now, though, he would sleep to get his energy back. He needed it and it was already getting late as well. Lovino would dream of the good times he had had as a child and, then, he would feel better than before.

Lovino would now help out in his own way, even if it almost killed him. Lovino would do everything he could just to help out where he was needed. For now, he would sleep.

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><p><strong>AN: Unfortunately, this may be my last update for awhile since I start school on Monday. I will try to get another update out before Monday, but I cannot guarantee anything at this point. If I don't, then you'll have to wait for awhile before this is updated again...**

**I am glad a lot of you at enjoying it and I hope you will continue to support me through this~ X3**

**Japan makes his appearance~ Though it's pretty small. Originally I wasn't going to add him but then I remembered I was doing this scene and needed a black smith so~ Yeah...**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoy~**


	19. Chapter 19

Antonio looked at Lovino with confusion and great concern. He had really hoped that the Italian hadn't asked what he thought that Lovino had asked.

"W-What?" Antonio asked.

"I want you to teach me how to use a sword," Lovino commented again, a little irritated that he had to repeat himself to the Spaniard. Antonio stared at Lovino with shock and a slightly paler face. He had only meant for Lovino to be able to defend himself with a sword, not learn how to use one. The Italian stared at the Spaniard for awhile before clearing his throat.

"I-I can't Lovi…"

"Why not?" Lovino was getting even more irritated by this reply. He wanted to learn to use one so he could help out when needed. He felt like some princess that needed protecting when he wasn't doing anything to help out. Antonio always said _'Don't worry Lovi, we have this'_ or _'You look tired Lovi, go rest.'_ It was starting to piss him off to the point he wanted to slap or head-butt Antonio. He wanted to help but he didn't seem to get that.

"You've suffered enough Lovi," Antonio said as he took the Italian's face into his hands. "You don't need to do anything." That was the last straw. Lovino had had it.

"Damn it Antonio!" Lovino yelled as he slapped the Spaniard's hands away from his face. "Why the fuck won't you let me help!" Antonio stared at Lovino with slight shock. He had never seen him like this before. "I want to help damn it!" Lovino grabbed Antonio's collar, bringing their faces closer together. "Tell me why I can't help! I'm more than capable to help out!"

"Ah…. L-Lovi… I…." Antonio was at a loss of words. He didn't really know what to say that wouldn't make Lovino mad at him. He was even beginning to wonder why he wouldn't let the Italian help… or learn to use a sword for that matter.

Gilbert and Francis stared at the two as they talked. Even _they_ were wondering why Antonio was being so stubborn. The Spaniard _did_ get the Italian a sword after all, so shouldn't Antonio teach Lovino how to use one?

"Tell me Antonio!" Lovino growled before he was hugged.

"I-I'm sorry Lovi…" Antonio softly said. "You're right… I'm sorry… I-I'll teach you…" Lovino looked at Antonio with slight surprise but more of relief that the Spaniard had actually said that, but he needed to make sure that he wasn't dreaming.

"R-Really?" the Italian asked, slightly looking up at Antonio as he did so.

"Si…"

"G-Grazie…."

For a while, Antonio and Lovino stood there, just hugging the other in a warm yet passionate hug. The two slowly pulled apart and Antonio promised Lovino that he would teach him how to use a sword tomorrow. The Spaniard believed that there was going to be a storm soon, though the sky was clear of a cloud in sight. Lovino didn't argue though. He figured it was something that someone developed in knowing when they had been on the sea for so long. However, Gilbert and Francis were just as confused as Lovino was when Antonio had said this. To them, it seemed strange as well that Antonio would say this since they had been on sailing just as long as the Spaniard and they believed Antonio to be crazy for saying this. Was Antonio just going crazy?

Well, that question was answered a few hours later when a huge storm suddenly appeared. Within minutes to water had swelled and were creating large waves that seemed like they could go above the small ship that they were on. The rain beat down on them from the heavy, dank clouds above them. It made it extremely had to even see where they were going at this point. Gilbert, Francis and Antonio did their best to keep everything in order. The waved rocked the ship back and forth more than they had before, making Lovino sick and having to retreat to the room.

The three did their best, but it wasn't enough. By the time they saw those rocks near the shore, it was too late. The ship slammed into the rocks, sending Gilbert, Francis, and Antonio flying out of it and crashing onto the shore. The ship, though the front of it was completely destroyed, was able to make it to shore, or at least what was left. Antonio groaned heavily as he shakily sat up on an arm for a moment, looking towards the ship that was now on its side.

"L….Lovi…." the Spaniard weakly said as he tried to get up, his vision swimming heavily. He needed to get to Lovino. He needed to make sure that the Italian was alright, though he didn't get very far before passing out on the shore. Antonio needed to know if Lovino was hurt, but he couldn't. He couldn't even check on his friends who were sprawled out on the beach with him. All he could do was lay there, motionless.

Antonio hoped that he would wake up soon so he could check on them. His friends and lover might need help. He needed to help them. However, the last thing he heard before everything went silent was the sound of footsteps coming towards him. He had wondered who they were, but he had no time.

Silence only filled his head.

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><p><strong>AN: XD I'm uploading this since I finished it at school because I got here really early for class and have a lot of time to kill! XD**

**Anyways, I hope this is done as well as my other chapters. I... I don't know why... I just feel like it might not be. Either that or I'm just weird and my slightly spacing out behavior is getting to me... ^^;**

**I've felt like I haven't been getting enough sleep for some reason even though I have been... I guess it's the effects of summer or something...**

**Anywho! Hope you enjoy this chapter and, I promise, the preview will be added when I get home to my computer! XD**

**And... yes... another cliff hanger for you. I am so evil! /shot/**

**Just FYI, someone is going to appear in the next chapter but I won't say who! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA**


	20. Chapter 20

Antonio slowly came back into consciousness. His emerald green eyes slowly opened as it looked around a large yet familiar room. The room was large and held ten beds in it made from light oak wood and small oak tables between each bed. White sheets were on each neatly made bed. A small amount of light was shining into the room from the slit in the curtains in the two windows.

"Oh! You're awake Antonio!" a woman's voice came. Her voice was sweet yet happy in nature. Antonio groaned as he sat up, his body aching as he did so. He looked over and saw a woman with short blond hair with a red headband. She wore a green maid outfit and a tray was in her hands.

"E-Emma…" Antonio softly said with surprise as he saw the woman with her feline smile.

"Morning~ Your ship really took a spill~"

"Yeah…. Sorry for troubling you…" Emma giggled as she walked over to Antonio, setting down her tray with different medicines and bandages on it.

"It's no trouble at all~ It's better than you four dying on the beach, right?" Antonio nodded as he let Emma change his bandages. "You're lucky that you're still alive after that storm."

Antonio nervously laughed. "S-Si…. I guess you're ri- ah! L-Lovi!" Antonio frantically looked around the room, trying to find the Italian.

"Lovi…?" Emma asked with confusion. "Do you mean that boy that was in the ships room when we found you?" Antonio nodded. Emma stood up and pointed to the bed that contained Lovino who was still passed out. Antonio felt his heart clench at seeing the young Italian's left arm and leg splintered with wood and bandages. There was also bandages around his head that was slightly stained crimson.

"I found him in the room with some of the furniture piled on top of him a bit. He's lucky he's still alive…" Emma commented as she looked at him with a bit of regret. She had never seen someone get hurt like that and still be alive. When she _did_ see someone still alive like that, they would be dead about an hour later.

Antonio shook a bit as he stood up from the bed. He was only wearing pants at this point but it was better than nothing. Emma, instead of forcing the Spaniard to sit back down, helped over to where Lovino was. She quickly got a chair for him and let Antonio sit down next to the bed.

"Lovi…." Antonio softly said as he took the Italian's hand into his own and brought it to his forehead. "I'm sorry…."

"He means a lot to you, yes?" Emma asked as she looked at Antonio who seemed as if he was going to start crying.

"Si…."

"He'll be fine." Emma placed a hand on Antonio's shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile. "He'll just be knocked out for a few days and he'll need a little while to recover."

"T-That's good…." Antonio sighed with relief at this. He was glad that Lovino would be alright. He placed a chaste kiss on the Italian's hand before setting it back down on the bed and sighed.

"Come on…" Emma commented. "Let's get you back into bed. I'll bring you something to eat up, alright?" Antonio nodded as he let Emma help him back into bed and leaned up against the headboard, a pillow behind his back.

"Emma… what happened to Gilbert and Francis?" the Spaniard suddenly asked as Emma got to the door. She looked over at him and smiled.

"They're alright. They weren't as seriously hurt as you two were. They recovered sometime last week while you two were still unconscious." Antonio's face paled as he heard this. How long have they been out? That's when he noticed that Lovino was attached to an IV drip, along with himself.

"H-How long… have we been out?"

"Two weeks…" Emma replied. "That's why I attached nutrition IV's to you two so your bodies could still get what they needed. You're out so now you can eat some solid foods." Emma smiled again before walking out of the room. Antonio sighed as he looked over at Lovino's IV drip. It was completely full, meaning that Emma had just changed it out not too long ago.

_Lovi…_ he thought as he looked at the weak looking Italian. _I'm so sorry… This is my fault for not paying attention to where we were going…_

Antonio buried his face into his hands, feeling as though he was going to cry. If only he had paid attention on the map where they were headed then they wouldn't even be here, or at least they wouldn't have been hurt like this. Antonio shook his head and wanted to be the one in Lovino's position. Why was it Lovino who had to get hurt so badly? He shakily sighed as he looked back over at Lovino. At least the Italian was still alive, though it seemed almost impossible that he would be alive after what Emma had said.

Now the question laid on where Gilbert and Francis were at the moment. Antonio sighed. He knew that Emma said that they were already healed, but where did they go? Of course, then he thought that they probably went to see if they can get a new ship or something. That was most likely what they were doing. Antonio sighed as he waited, but something told him that something bad was going to be brought forth.

0-0-0

"I-I see…." Antonio softly said as he talked to Gilbert and Francis. They were in a different room from where Lovino was. The Italian was still unconscious and it had been three days more since Antonio woke up.

"We could sell that kid's stuff," Gilbert commented, "but I already know he won't allow that…"

"Well… he doesn't have a family anymore Gil…" Antonio stated. "I don't want him to have to give up important things to him… just like I won't let you sell important things from your family…" Gilbert sighed but nodded. Ludwig _had_ been the last of his family and now even he was gone. It still didn't even seem possible that his little brother could die that easily, but that's what happens when you're trying to protect someone that you love with all your might.

Antonio looked down at the small bag of items that he had brought with them for Lovino. He wondered how things became so complicated. He remembered when he first met Lovino in that bar that he was so happy to see him after so long.

_He doesn't remember me from our childhood…_ Antonio thought as he let out s soft sigh. _But I don't care… Lovi is Lovi and that hasn't really changed since then…_

Antonio seemed spaced out as he sat on the chair in the room that they were in. He wished everything would go back to the way that things were before where he didn't have to deal with Arthur pursuing them and Lovino was finally happy after so long. He just wanted Lovino to live a normal life and not have to be a slave to anyone anymore. Even if it meant that he had to give his own life for that purpose he would, but already knew that the Italian wouldn't like that very much so he would have to protect Lovino while still living.

"Toni?" Gilbert's voice shattered all of Antonio's thoughts, making the Spaniard look up at him.

"huh?"

"You alright?"

"Ah… S-Si… I-I'm alright…" Antonio looked back down with a slight smile on his face. "Just tired I guess…"

"You're still recovering, so it's not a big surprise," Francis commented. Antonio nodded in reply. He was lost in thought that he didn't even realize that he had been sighing a lot and looking like he was going to be sick. "Go rest mon ami."

"A-Alright…" Antonio softly said with a nod as he stood up, still holding the bag with Lovino's things in it.

"We'll figure something out Toni," Gilbert reassured the Spaniard. "You focus on getting better." Antonio nodded again before he walked out of the room and back towards the room where he had left Lovino in. He walked back in after a few minutes of walking and stopped in his tracks when he saw amber eyes looking over at him.

"L…Lovi…." He softly said. Lovino was awake.

"Ciao…." Lovino softly greeted the Spaniard. He was still laying down, but he was at least conscious now. Antonio walked over to Lovino and set down the bag before hugging him. "C-Chigii…!"

"Oh!" Antonio pulled away from Lovino. "S-Sorry Lovi… I-I forgot you haven't recovered all the way. Lovino blushed a bit.

"I…It's alright…"

"How are you feeling?"

"Alright I guess…." Antonio quietly sighed with relief at hearing this. He was still worried about the Italian since he was still laying down, but felt a bit better knowing that he had actually woken up again.

"T-That's good… I'm glad you're alright Lovi…." Lovino gave a slight nod as he looked around the room, wondering where they were but didn't feel like asking at the moment. He gave a small yawn before falling back asleep again.

_Sleep well Lovi…_ Antonio thought as he placed a chaste kiss on the Italian's forehead before going to his own bed and laying down on his side. He stared at Lovino sleeping, trying to get himself to sleep as well.

Antonio had been talking with Gilbert and Francis and apparently those two had landed on some sandbags that were laid out to border the river and ocean from flooding the town. The townspeople were trying to do that when they ended up crashing to the shore. Emma and her brother were one of those people and they brought them back to the hospital that they ran. Antonio and Lovino hadn't been that lucky though, but the Spaniard had been better off than the Italian. Antonio sighed again as he slowly drifted off to sleep. He hoped that they could stay there for a while so they all could rest up and heal before they went back out on the ocean, especially Lovino. He just needed to wait though and, hopefully, Arthur wouldn't find them.

0-0-0

"I see…" Ludwig sighed as he sat in his hospital bed, barely remembering anything that had happened to him and Feliciano.

"You'll be here for a while longer," Alfred commented as he sat in a chair near the German's bed. "We also would like to keep you two guarded until we can get Arthur captured."

"I understand… Please do so…" Alfred nodded as he placed his navy hat back onto his head. He stood yup from his chair and looked down at Ludwig.

"We're trying to track down your brother and his crew at the moment. We want to try and find them before Arthur does so he doesn't do anything to them. If you hear word of them, please contact me." Alfred handed Ludwig a small white card with his name and a number. "Someone will be able to get in contact with me no matter where I am."

"Alright…" Ludwig took the card with slight difficulty. "I'll keep a watch out." Alfred nodded towards Ludwig again who nodded back. The American then headed for the door.

"Please focus on recovering for the mean time. When we've both healed, we'll transfer you to a safer location."

"I understand… Danke Herr Jones…" Alfred gave a slight wave to the German before leaving the room. Once the door was closed behind him, he sighed and looked at the ground.

_Why are you doing this Arthur?_ he asked himself as he started walking down the hall. _What happened to you?_

"Mr. Jones?" Alfred looked up at one of the officers and shook his head, becoming serious again.

"I want a squad to guard the two here!" Alfred ordered. "If anything comes up, contact me or my brother immediately." The officer saluted to Alfred before running off and giving out the order. Alfred walked out of the hospital and shook his head. "I'll find you Arthur… and then I'll make sure you learn what your power and greed does to yourself." Alfred fixed his hat again before walking to the car and getting in. He would find Arthur and bring an end to the Britain's overruling power. He had that power, it was the one thing Arthur gave to him before he decided to choose power over anything else.

_I'll find you... and then I can bring you back to normal... Arthur…_

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><p><strong>AN: Uploading this before class starts...**

**Anyways!**

**For those who couldn't tell, Emma is Belgium. I used the name because it seemed to fit and it was one of the names that the author was planning on using for her. So, I used it. If she, now, has a real name that the Author gave her, then please tell me. Otherwise I hope you enjoy this chapter~ o3o;**

**Now then... off to class with me... XD**

**Also...**

**CLIFF HANGER! *shot***


	21. Chapter 21

A month. That's how long it took Lovino to get better. He wasn't completely healed but he was well enough to be able to go back on a ship. His arm and leg were on the verge of being completely healed, which was a good thing. Emma figured two more weeks and the Italian would be completely healed. However, they knew they couldn't stay there for anymore time.

"You sure you'll be alright?" Emma asked as she stood face to face with Antonio. "I'm more than happy to help keep you guys hidden until all of you are better."

"Gracias Emma…." Antonio thanked. "But I think we're putting you in more danger being here."

"Alright. Here." Emma handed Spain a large sack. "Some different types of medicine just in case." Antonio smiled gently as he took the sack from the Belgian girl.

"Gracias Emma…" Antonio hugged Emma as thanks before waving to her and getting onto the ship. "Please be careful Emma!"

"I will!" Emma called back and waved to the people on the ship. She sighed as she watched her friends leave. She was worried about them, especially Lovino since he wasn't completely healed yet. She decided to trust them though.

Antonio sighed as he sat down on the ship with his back against the edge of it. He was exhausted with everything that had to be done within the month they were there. They were able to sell the rest of the parts of the ship that were left for some money and all the other things such as furniture that was in the room they were able to sell for money as well. It was a good thing because they had been running out of money and they needed to get, not only a ship, but food as well.

"Hey, why don't you do rest Toni?" Gilbert suggested. "You don't seem like you're feeling well."

"Hm?" Antonio looked up at the albino. "I-I'm fine… just tired…"

"All the more reason to go rest mon ami," Francis commented as he stood next to Gilbert. "We can look after things while you sleep." Antonio nodded as he yawned.

"Gracias…" he softly said as he stood up and walked into his and Lovino's room. He found that the Italian was already sleeping on the large mattress that he had been sitting on before. Antonio smiled as he carefully slid under the blankets and, slowly, fell asleep. It felt nice for him to just be able to calmly relax without having to worry about anything for the time being. Though, Antonio hoped that there wouldn't be anymore storms, they couldn't afford losing another ship like the one before.

0-0-0

"Alfred?" Matthew softly asked as he saw his brother with a stern expression.

"Hm?" Alfred looked over at his brother. "I guess…" Alfred turned back around as he looked out at the ship he was about to board.

"I see… Please be careful, okay?"

"Yeah… See you Mattie…" Alfred got onto the ship and sailed away, leaving his quiet brother behind him. He knew that it was only going to be a matter of time before Arthur found Antonio and so he needed to get to the Spaniard before the Britain did. It would pain him greatly to do all of this to Arthur, but he knew he had no choice now.

Matthew looked at the ship as it left and sighed, looking towards the ground.

_Be safe Al… I know this is hard for you… so please be safe…_ he thought before he walked back towards the station. Matthew knew a lot of things about his brother that he probably should know, but sometimes it was better that way. How long has it been since Arthur first came into power? The blond couldn't remember since it was so long ago.

_Arthur used to be so nice back then…_Matthew thought as he sat down at his desk that was completely cleaned off and organized. He shook his head as he started working again. He couldn't think about that right now. He needed to get things done so he could help out as much as he could with all of this. It would only be a matter of time before everything would get complicated and everything would come to an end. Only a matter of time.

0-0-0

"I-I see…" Feliciano softly said as he looked down as he sat in his hospital bed. He had only gotten up a few minutes ago and his voice was weak and cracked a lot. He was still recovering even though he had been awake for several weeks. Of course, his body wasn't as strong as Ludwig's, so it was taking time for him to recover. Ludwig handed the Italian a glass of water.

"You should just rest, alright?" Ludwig encouraged as he sat in a chair near the bed. Feliciano slightly nodded as he drank but didn't really look like he wanted to, not after hearing what was going on. Ludwig softly sighed as he patted Feliciano gently on the head. "Please. I'm sure they'll find your brother and make sure that he'll be safe."

Feliciano slightly blushed. "O-Okay Luddy…. I-if you say so…" Ludwig nodded as he took the water back from the Italian and set it down before covering him up.

"Get better." Feliciano weakly smiled up at Ludwig before drifting off to sleep again. Ludwig softly sighed again as he sat back in the chair. He was worried about his brother and Lovino. He knew both of them would be in danger and he didn't want to think how Feliciano would feel if his brother was forced to go back to the place he was before. Feliciano had told him about what had happened to his brother and the German knew it wasn't a very good place to be. He really hoped Alfred could help out somehow. He _really_ hoped he could.

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><p><strong>AN: I have my reasons why this is so short but I am not going to tell them! XD**

**Anyways, hoped you enjoys and R&R**


	22. Chapter 22

Everything was quiet. Maybe a bit _too_ quiet. There was no sign of a thunder storm, no sign of Arthur and his crew. Nothing. It was as if all of Earth had died off except for the people sailing on the ships to either capture or escape. How long had they been traveling and trying to escape? The time was lost in the waves and the wind.

"Have we received anything from Matthew?" Alfred asked as he looked out at the ocean which seemed to have lost its glimmering aspects to it. It was as if it was trying to tell Alfred something. Something important that he felt like he should know.

"No sir," a crewmate replied as he stood behind the dark haired blond. "We have not. It has only been a few days though, so I'm sure we'll hear from him soon."

"Right… Thank you. Go back to your work."

"Yes sir." The man saluted to Alfred before walking off to do what he needed. Alfred softly sighed as he looked down. What could he be missing from all of this? Sure Arthur's ship was fast, but not as fast as his ship. Could Arthur have found Antonio already and is torturing him?

Alfred shook his head to cast that thought out. He knew Antonio, Gilbert, and Francis wouldn't let themselves get caught that easily, or at least not without a fight. This, of course, didn't settle the American's nerves one bit. If there _was_ a fight, then someone would probably end up dying. He shook his head once again. Alfred _knew_ he couldn't be thinking like that. He needed to stay positive for as long as possible. He had to have hope.

Hope… that seemed like such a distant thing at the moment. What hope was there if someone died because of Arthur? Alfred sighed. He couldn't help _but_ think like that. It was too much to hope for that Arthur wouldn't kill someone. How long would he have to try and search for Antonio and his crew? Or if he even had a crew anymore. Alfred knew that Antonio was smarter than people gave him credit for and also knew that he would try not to get caught so easily.

After all, if it had been three months since he started searching and still hadn't seen or heard anything from Arthur, then that must mean that he was still searching for the Spaniard. He still had _some_ hope that Arthur hadn't caught Antonio yet. He sighed as he continued to scan the horizon for any sign of a ship but could still see nothing there. It was just a vast blue ocean, nothing more. He would get no where at the moment and decided to actually get some rest since he hadn't gotten enough for several days.

"Let me know if you see anything!" Alfred commanded.

"Yes sir!" the crew replied in return and went back to their work. Alfred walked into his quarters and went to sleep easily. It would probably only be a matter of time before everything started. Only a matter of time… or so he had hoped. That was not the case though.

"SIR JONES!" a crew man yelled as he pounded on the door of the American's door only hours later. Alfred groaned as he got up and opened the door.

"What is it?" Alfred groggily asked.

"We see a ship up ahead!"

"What!" Alfred grabbed his had and jacket before running out of his room and over to where everyone was looking. He took out an eye glass before focusing on it. Indeed there was a ship, but it looked as if there was another ship chasing it. "It must be them…." He placed the eye glass away before turning towards his crew. "Head towards them!"

"Yes sir!" The crew replied as they started to get to work as fast as they could. Alfred only hoped they would make it in time.

0-0-0

"Damn it…" Antonio softly cursed as they sat in the middle of the ocean, sails down since the wind was blowing in a different direction. In front of their small ship was Arthur's fleet. No one really knew why the Britain needed a fleet to just track down one small ship for one person, but it was there.

"What are we going to do?" Gilbert asked as he looked over at his Spanish friend as the three of them stood in front of Lovino who was shaking heavily. Lovino didn't want this to be the end. He didn't want to be taken back to the hell hole he had been away from for almost an entire year.

"I don't know…." Antonio softly admitted. "We don't have any large weapons to fight with…"

"So…. This is it?" Francis softly asked, probably already knowing the answer. Antonio sighed, his head dropping since he knew that it was. This really was the end of it.

"Si….." The Spaniard didn't _want_ to admit it, but it was. It really was the end of it. Lovino looked up at Antonio with disbelief.

"A….Antonio….." Lovino softly murmured, his voice shaking heavily as he did so. He didn't want this to be the end. He didn't want to go back.

"I'm sorry Lovi….. I'm so sorry….." Antonio said this as Arthur's ship slowly came to the side of the smaller one before the Britain jumped down onto it.

"Well, Well," Arthur commented with a dark smirk as he started walking up to Antonio. "If it isn't Antonio, Gilbert, and Francis…." None of the three spoke as Arthur stopped in front of them before pulling out his gun and pointing it at Antonio's chest. "I'll be taking that boy from you now…."

"…..No," Antonio stated bluntly, not moving from his position as he felt Lovino grab onto the back of his shirt.

"You _dare_ to defy me?" Arthur sneered.

"Yes…." Arthur's finger twitched on the trigger of his gun.

"Give it up… you lose." Within seconds, Antonio had Arthur hanging above the water, his gun clattering to the ground and the Spaniard holding his neck tightly.

"_No one_ wants you to be the head of the government." Antonio's express became dark as he held onto the rope of his ship. "One false move and I _swear_ I will release you into the water."

"B-Bastard…." Arthur choked out as he tried to pull Antonio's hand away from his neck but was unsuccessful.

"GAH!" Lovino shrieked as he was captured by Bernard.

"You're coming back with me…." Bernard commented as he held a firm grip on the Italian.

"NO!" Antonio's grip loosened slightly as he looked over at Lovino, his eyes slightly widening.

"Lovi!" Antonio released Arthur as he looked over at the Italian. However, the Britain was able to grab a rope before swinging around and standing in front of Lovino, pointing a gun at Antonio once again, smirking.

"Good-bye Antonio," he commented before he shot. Everything seemed to slow down in Lovino's eyes as he watched Antonio get hit before plunging into the depths below.

"ANTONIO!" Lovino, Francis, and Gilbert yelled as they watched. None of them could do anything about it. Several guns were pointed Gilbert and Francis and Bernard was holding Lovino who was in complete shock from what he had just witnessed.

"Antonio…." Lovino softly said as he shook, staring down at the floor of the ship. He could feel himself being pulled away but he couldn't let Antonio drown. Not right in front of him. That's when the Italian started flailing and kicking, trying to get free.

"LET. ME. GO!" Lovino snarled before tearing away and running away just in time before he was caught again. Then, something happened that _no one_ would have guessed. Lovino drove straight into the water after Antonio. Everyone stood there, staring with shock that something like that had happened and no one could even move. All of them just stared at the spot where Lovino had disappeared to. No one spoke or moved. All were as still as a statue was.

All of them wondering if the two would even survive.

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><p><strong>AN: Almost done...**

**Thanks for 100+ reviews~ 3 **


	23. Chapter 23

All of them stood there, staring. Even after several minutes they just stood there. Lovino wasn't very strong nor was he really courageous in the first place to do something as daring as diving in after Antonio. However, it only took a few minutes for everyone to snap back out of it.

"YOU IDIOT!" Bernard yelled, his voice booming as he glared at Arthur who immediately spun towards the man. "Get him out of there!"

"How the bloody hell do you expect me to do that!" Arthur retorted, giving the man an even darker expression. "None of my men can bloody swim!"

"Then think of something! I'm not paying you to get _rid_ of him!"

While Arthur and Bernard were busy fighting – and Arthur's men watching – Gilbert and Francis slipped out of sight. They were quick in getting the long boat they had into the water and getting into it. Once out of sight completely, Gilbert was quick in taking off his heavy clothes and diving in after the Italian and Spaniard. Luckily, Lovino had been smart enough to get rid of all the heavy clothes and items on Antonio so they wouldn't sink as fast.

Gilbert quickly grabbed Antonio and pulled him to the surface before helping Francis get him into the boat. He then went under and retrieved Lovino, also helping him into the boat before getting in himself. He and Francis then started row away from the ship. Lovino had placed Antonio's head on his lap, looking down at him with a pained expression. The Spaniard's breathing was staggered and ragged, the wound in his chest still bleeding.

"Antonio…." Lovino softly said as he placed his forehead on the Spaniard's forehead. "Please….. be alright…." Lovino didn't want his only love to leave him. He wouldn't be able to stand it. The boat kept going before stopping as a larger ship's shadow cast onto them.

"Hey!" the three looked up to see Alfred waving to them from the top before two roped with hooks were thrown down.

"It's Alfred…." Francis commented before taking the hooks and handing one to Gilbert before attaching the other one to the side of the boat. Gilbert followed suit and the small boat soon began to slowly be lifted up. As the boat was set down on the deck of the ship, Antonio let out a sharp, pained wheeze.

"Antonio!" Lovino exclaimed as he saw some blood gush from the Spaniard's gunshot wound.

"Get a medic team over here now!" Alfred commanded before someone quickly ran off to get one.

"L….Lovi….." Antonio softly said as he raised a shaky hand to the Italian's cheek. Lovino looked down into lifeless emerald green eyes as he held Antonio's hand.

"W-What is it?" Lovino couldn't stand to see Antonio like this. Helpless, weak, barely able to move. It pained him so much that he wished none of this had happened. He wanted to stay with Antonio who was always happy, cheerful, and who didn't let _anything_ get him down. Well, almost anything.

"Lovi….. I-I'm s-sorry…. I-I failed you….." Antonio apologized, his breathing still staggered heavily. Antonio slipped his hand from Lovino's before it reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, black box. "Lovi…"

"W-What….?" Lovino felt like he couldn't breathe as he slowly took the box from Antonio's cold, tanned hand.

"I… really wanted… us to be t-together… f-forever….." Lovino felt his heart skip a beat as he heard Antonio say this, making him slowly open the box. Inside was a simple banded silver ring with a very simple pasta design on it. Lovino started to shake as tears flowed heavily down his face at seeing the ring.

"A-Antonio…. T-this….."

Antonio weakly smiled as he placed his hand on Lovino's cheek again, his thumb gently caressing the Italian's cheek. "Please don't cry Lovi…. Smile for me…. I love your smile…." A slight light came back to Antonio's eyes as he said this. Lovino shook more as he placed his own hand over Antonio's which was still on his face. The Italian weakly smiled down at Antonio. Even though he was crying, Lovino's smile was still genuine and loving.

"Aw…~" Antonio happily smiled a bit more. "So… beautiful…." Antonio eyes slowly closed before his hand slipped from Lovino's, falling to the deck.

"A….Ant-tonio…?" Lovino softly asked as he looked down at the motionless Spaniard. "W-Wake up….. p-please…." Lovino placed his shaky hands on Antonio's cold, pale cheeks. "Antonio? A-Antonio!"

Alfred felt his blood run cold. "Where's that medical team!" he yelled, hoping that what had happened didn't. The medic team quickly ran over to Antonio and started checking him. Lovino didn't move from his spot with Antonio's head still on his lap. After a few seconds, one of the medics shook his head.

"He's gone…" he commented, making Lovino completely freeze in place. It couldn't be true. Antonio _couldn't_ be dead. Not now. Alfred looked down, his hands balling into fists as he felt a rush of anger fill his body.

"Get up to Arthur's ship now!" Alfred commanded angrily, which got the crew to be swift on their feet to get the anchor back up and moving again. The wind, now, was blowing them towards the Britain's ship. The American looked back at Lovino and saw the broken expression on the Italian's face.

"Antonio…." Lovino softly said as he stared down at the Spaniard. He couldn't believe that any of this was happening. He couldn't believe it. Antonio couldn't be dead, he just couldn't. Even Gilbert and Francis didn't know what to say that would make things better. It was even painful for them to see their friend laying there, motionless… dead.

How did all of this happen again? By this time, everything seemed to have just been an innocent thing to get two brothers back together again and now it all had just fallen apart into a thousand fragments of small pieces. Those pieces could never be placed back together and, now, those pieces had broken into even more pieces. All of it had just fallen apart around them. Antonio was just doing everything he could to keep his love, Lovino, from being taken some place that he didn't even want to be. The three of them had been together for so long and then an addition was added to it. All of them, somehow, were able to get along. And, now, those three people realized that it was Antonio who was keeping it all together.

The cheerful, sometimes oblivious Spaniard was the only thing that had been keeping all of them together throughout those horrible times of trying to escape Arthur. Now… it was gone. Gilbert and Francis didn't cry for their friend but they were still depressed that their beloved friend was gone because he was trying to do something selfish for the first time in his life. Just _once_ did Antonio think of himself but still, somehow, was able to care about Gilbert and Francis as well as being selfish. Still, none of them could believe that he was now gone. Gone like the wind within seconds.

Before any of them knew it, Alfred was already holding a gun to Arthur's head with a stern expression on his face. Alfred knew that he still had a duty to do, even if it meant hurting himself in the process as well.

"I, Alfred F. Jones, hereby place you, Arthur Kirkland, under arrest." Alfred pushed down the guilt into his stomach. "Under the accordance law that you placed up. Section 15, article 3, paragraph 7 that demes me fit to remove you from your position and place you in jail for your greed for power and vengeance taking control of you."

Of course, Arthur wasn't happy about this, but why would he be? He was doing what he needed in his job, but, slowly, he realized that Alfred was right. He _had_ let his greed for power take him over and his vengeance on Antonio get the better of him. So, he complied with the terms since it _was_ the law.

Arthur would no longer be the head of the government and he would be placed in jail for his own, selfish, greedy actions. Something told him that this was better anyways. The vengeance part of his plan was already taken care of since Antonio was dead.

Alfred sighed as his men took Arthur away. He then turned towards Bernard and pointed a gun at his head as well. "You, Bernard Ackman, are hereby placed under arrest for the illegal actions of your so-called bar and, therefore, you shall spend the rest of your life in jail and be stripped of everything you are currently holding."

That was the end of both Arthur and Bernard. No longer would either of them be doing anything to harm anyone. Of course, there was still one person who was still out there and, before anyone knew it, the bombarding of cannon balls splashing into the water were heard and felt.

It wasn't the end just yet.

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><p><strong>AN: I have made myself sad with this chapter. I was crying so hard when I was writing this and I will probably continue to do so while writing the rest of this... TT_TT**

**H-Hoped you enjoyed this chapter... as much as you could anyways...**


	24. Chapter 24

The blasts from the cannon balls hitting the water made the ships heavily rock back and forth, making it hard for everyone to try and stand. Arthur slightly smirked as he saw the ship in the distance and recognizing it immediately.

"Too bad Alfred," he commented. He may have complied with everything for Alfred, but he wasn't going to back down now. After seeing that ship, he wasn't going do so now. "Like a good trained dog, Ivan has come to my rescue."

"What!" Alfred exclaimed as he heard the name of the Russian that he had gotten into countless fights with in the past. He didn't think that Ivan would be here to try and save Arthur and, therefore, had let his guard down. Seeing the shocked and dumbstruck look on Alfred's face only made Arthur laugh.

"Did you really think I would just give up that easily you bloody fool!" the Britain laughed. "Like always, you are so naïve when it comes to things!" Alfred clenched his teeth together before punching Arthur in the stomach, causing him to cough up some blood before falling unconscious.

"Get him to the jail bunkers below deck now!" Alfred ordered his crew. "Get the cannons ready right now!" The crew complied and immediately went to work. He then got back onto his ship and saw that Lovino hadn't moved and Antonio's lifeless body was still lying there. He bit his bottom lip before shaking his head. "Get those two to a safe room!" Alfred pointed to Lovino and Antonio, knowing that the Italian didn't want to be separated from the Spaniard at the moment.

Within seconds, Lovino and Antonio were placed in a room to be safe from harm. Alfred sighed as he looked over at Gilbert and Francis who were already getting on their jackets and weapons. They intended to help no matter what, especially after everything that had happened already. The two nodded to Alfred who, in return, nodded as well. It would take all of them to take Ivan down; all three of them knew that.

"Gilbert! Francis!" Alfred's voice was loud and commanding like it had been before. "I want you two to take control of Arthur's fleet." He threw the two badges. "Use those if they do not want to listen! That should get them to listen if they don't at first."

"Right!" the two replied loudly as they went to Arthur's ship and started ordering the Britain's around like they were told to. This caused the rest of the fleet to comply and, before they knew it, all the ships were headed towards Ivan's.

"Ah-ha~ They're coming this way~" Ivan commented with a smile as he saw the ships heading towards his unmoving ship.

"What do you want me to do big brother?" Natalya asked as she stood behind him, waiting for him to give her an order. Ivan's expression became serious as he slightly turned towards his sister. He didn't say anything as the ship started to rock back and forth. The Russian turned back around and ordered for the firing of more cannons. It was done so.

Cannon fodder was exchanged between the ships before everything became quiet. The cannons were silent. Voices were silent. The wind and water were silent as well. Ivan and Alfred stood several feet across from each on their ships, staring at one another. Ocean blue eyes meeting lily purple eyes. Serious meeting amused. No one moved or even spoke still. It seemed as if time had stopped right then and there, but it was not so as the wind slightly picked up once again.

"It's good to see you Alfred~" Ivan commented with a childish smile. "How've you been?"

"Don't start with me Ivan!" Alfred shouted as he continued to glare at the Russian. "Why are you firing at us!" Ivan's childish expression slowly faded away as he heard this, slowly morphing into a dark expression.

"I have to get rid of the trash…" the Russian stated rather bluntly. "Arthur was weak to his own desires so now I must get rid of him. Alfred slightly froze as he heard this. Get rid of Arthur? That was something that he couldn't let happen.

"You'll end up killing all of us if you continue!" This, however, only made Ivan laugh with amusement.

"Who said I wanted Arthur out of the way?"

"W-What!" Alfred couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Y….you plan to kill all of us!"

"Ah-ha~" Ivan laughed with his bright and cheery tone that he normally had when he was pretending to be innocent. "That's right~ Alfred is so smart~" Alfred's teeth clenched as he heard this. Ivan was lower status than himself and yet he was threatening him. Of course, he also knew that Ivan could also say that all of this was Arthur's fault or something and that they killed each other in battle.

Alfred knew he needed to do something about this. He didn't come all this way to arrest Arthur _just_ so he could die. Of course, he knew that if Arthur heard this he could always tell Ivan to die. But that would only make things worse off than they already are.

"I am also interested in Antonio~" Ivan commented, shattering all of Alfred's thoughts.

"What?" Alfred asked in disbelief. Hearing this didn't make him any more comfortable than it already was.

"He's interesting~ Being able to become such a person who can become murderous within seconds but then always have that nice exterior and not even knowing about how he can go from one to the other~ I want to research him~"

"Well you can't…. he's dead…"

"Da, I know…" Ivan's tone became dark again, along with his expression. "_That's_ why I need him the way he is right now… He can't do anything to me and I can still do what I want with his body."

"Ivan! You know that's against the law! Researching on people without consent of a higher up is forbidden!" Ivan glared at Alfred, not liking having to be recited to what the law was and was not. It was starting to annoy him and, on cue, Ivan's ship started firing at Alfred's again. However, this time, it hit the ship dead on without Alfred being able to react to it.

"FIRE!" Alfred yelled, making his own cannons go off, along with a few of the other ships that were there. The firing went on and on until all the ships were out of cannon fodder and both Ivan's and Alfred's ships were slightly damaged. Alfred hadn't noticed before that Ivan had other ships with him until all ships were firing at each other. Two of Arthur's ships were down and two of Ivan's were down as well. How many people were dead from each ship, though, was a mystery.

"Alfred~" Ivan sang from his ship. "I have an idea of how to settle this~"

Alfred continued to glare at Ivan as he spoke, "how?"

"We go to shore and fight~ One shot each and the first person to get shot loses."

"And what happens if neither of us get wounded?"

"Then we continue, each firing one shot at each other."

"And what does the winner get?"

"They get anything they want~" Alfred was silent for a long time as he contemplated this idea. If it kept more people from getting killed or hurt, he should probably agree to the terms. However, if Ivan got what he wanted, it probably wouldn't end well for anyone. His choices weren't looking the greatest either way. Either fight Ivan and try to win, or Ivan destroys them all and somehow still get what he wants. Two choices which, either way, weren't looking well for anyone that would be involved.

Alfred sighed as he looked back up at Ivan. "Fine. I agree to your terms!"

"Ah-ha~ Wonderful~" Ivan smiled as he ordered his ship to make it towards land, Alfred doing the same. This probably wasn't the best decision he had ever made, but it was the best one out of the choices he was given since Ivan always had something up his sleeve. It was either they all die or someone gets wounded. The second choice was better.

The ships made it to shore and Ivan and Alfred stood across from each other, the wind blowing Ivan's scarf around a bit. The two had at least one other person there to make sure everything was fair. Ivan having Natalya and Alfred having Gilbert and Francis there. Ivan and Alfred weren't allowed to touch their guns until told to do so. Guns were cleaned, checked, and then checked by the other person to make sure only one shot was present in the gun before the two combatants were allowed to take them.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Francis asked Alfred in a whisper as Gilbert checked Ivan's gun and Natalya checking Alfred's gun.

"It's the only choice that can almost guarantee that all of us can make it out of here alive…" Alfred commented in the same whispered tone as Gilbert came back and handed Alfred his gun.

Francis nodded before he, Gilbert, and Natalya stood off to the side. Taking ten paces away from the three, Alfred and Ivan turned towards each other. Blue and violet meeting each other once again. It would be starting soon. Battle to being injured or to being dead. Alfred softly sighed. Dead. That seemed like something that should be occurring when he was old and retired without having a care in the world. Not now. Not when things were as bad as they were right now. It was the worse situation to be wishing you _might_ be dying right then and there.

Both Ivan and Alfred exchanged on last look before turning their backs on each other and taking their places about 10 feet from each other. As Alfred turned around, a shot flew right pass his head, almost grazing his cheek. The American stood there, slightly frozen as he saw that. Anymore to the right and he would've been hit and lost right then and there.

"I missed…." Ivan commented with a slight anger in his tone. He was hoping to get this over with fast but it didn't seem like it was going to be that way. As he stood there, the shot from Alfred's gun punctured a hole in his scarf, but not him.

"Shit…" Alfred softly said as he let Gilbert come over and take his gun before the process was done once again and guns were returned to the original owners. The two stood there once again, the wind picking up again before dying down, as if signaling the two to start when they were ready. Alfred made the first shot this time but then he felt something hit his shoulder, making him freeze. Ivan had gotten him right in the shoulder. The American fell to the ground, holding the one spot as Gilbert and Francis stood there, stunned at how fast Ivan had made the shot. It was something that neither of them would have predicted. Did Alfred really get wounded? No one knew but Alfred collapsing face first into the ground was good enough for the Russian to declare his victory.

"Ah-ha~" Ivan chimed with a slight laugh as he handed his gun back to his little sister. "Looks like I win~ I get to take Antonio now~" With that, the Russian started heading towards Alfred's ship, though Gilbert and Francis didn't like that fact. They didn't want Ivan to do experiments with their friend's body. However, neither of them could do anything since the agreement was already made. Alfred had lost and, therefore, Ivan got to take what he wanted, which was Antonio's body. It pained them and they also knew that it would pain Lovino even more, especially after seeing Antonio die after giving him a ring. They knew Antonio had planned on proposing to Lovino sometime soon, but not in that sort of manner. Not under _those_ circumstances.

Gilbert and Francis _knew_ that Lovino was _not_ going to take kindly to Antonio's body being taken away from him, though they could do nothing. They couldn't do _anything_ to help their friend or Lovino. All they could do was stand there in hopes that everything would just settle down after all of this was done.

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><p><strong>AN: OMG! Chapter 24 is ifinally/i out~ There's about 3 or 4 more chapters that I am going to do of this and then it will be over! D| Kind of makes me sad actually... This is the LONGEST fanfiction that I have _ever_ written!**

**Anyways, hoping you are still enjoying this~ I'm hoping to make the next chapter longer and filled with as_ much_ action as I can. It's hard for me to write Pirate action since I have never done it before.**

**Hope you Enjoyed~ and I hope, even after this, you will continue to support me in all my en-devours~ **

**XD I've been smart with putting the Preview cover on my flash drive so I can upload it the way I want to at school! XD Aw man... I have to go to class so... - Boring Astronomy...**


	25. Chapter 25

Lovino was finally sitting up on the bed as he woke up from his long nap, the shock having been too much for him to handle. As he gazed out the window, he could see that the sun was starting to set in the sky. Everything seemed too silent, though the Italian didn't know why that was. Then again, he figured everyone was eating or doing something else that required silence to fill the air. Lovino didn't care though, especially when he saw the pale face of his Spanish lover lying next to him, motionless.

The Italian shakily sighed as he placed a gentle hand on the Spaniard's cheek, only to have his heart sink further into his stomach. Antonio really was dead. Stone, cold dead. Anotnio couldn't come back anymore.

"Antonio…. Amore mio…" the Italian softly said as he felt tears forming in his chocolate eyes again. He wanted Antonio to come back to him. He wanted to be held and kissed by the Spaniard again, but he knew it wouldn't happen. Never again would he feel the warmth of Antonio's skin, no longer would he have soft, chaste kisses placed on his lips. No. He wouldn't be able to experience any of that anymore. He was left all alone in the world. All of his family was dead and now his lover was as well. "An…tonio…"

Lovino felt so empty inside. He wouldn't be able to go on in life all alone and nowhere to go. He'd be forced to go back to the hell hole that he first came from and be forced into doing something he didn't want to do. Though, this time, he wouldn't think anything of it since he had nothing left to keep him who he was. No family, no love, no one.

"Ah-ha~" a voice chimed with a smile as the door swung open, letting in the cool air from the outside. Lovino jumped before looking over at who it was, his eyes widening as he saw Ivan standing there with that childish expression of his. The Italian couldn't believe what he was seeing since Ivan was supposed to be dead. "Privet~ I'll be taking Antonio now~"

That statement set Lovino off, not wanting Antonio's body to be given to a man such as that. "NO!" he cried as he held Antonio from his upper body, slightly curling his body around the Spaniard's head to try and protect him. Once again he could feel tears flowing from his face in fear of himself getting hurt and Antonio being taken.

"Da~" Ivan commented as he took a step forward. "I won the fight and now I get to take Antonio~" The Russian's childish, happy voice faltered a bit as he spoke. Lovino pulled out Antonio's loaded pistol and pointed it at Ivan, both rage and sadness showing on his face as he did so.

"Get out of here…!" Lovino's voice was threatening. He wasn't going to give Antonio to someone like this. This manic wasn't going to take his love away from him, even if the Spaniard was dead to begin with. It was the whole concept that mattered to him. However, this didn't make Ivan happy, which caused his smile to turn into a frown. The Russian didn't like being kept from his prize when he had won it fair and square. He was like a lion ready to pounce on the animal that was stealing his kill away from him, especially when it was someone like Lovino who was keeping him from doing so.

"I do not like being provoked," Ivan commented as he took another step forward, making Lovino's finger twitch on the trigger. If the Russian got any closer, he knew that he was going to shoot.

"Fuck you!" Lovino yelled angrily, finally snapping. Before Ivan could take another step, the Italian fired the gun at Ivan, the bullet embedding itself in the Russian's shoulder. It didn't seem to bother Ivan though. The Russian took it as a sign that he could attack the Italian if he wanted, though he wasn't going to try to attempt to do so unless he really had to.

"I'll say this one more time. Hand him over." Ivan's tone was darker than before as he took another step towards the bed where Antonio and Lovino were. Lovino started to shake a bit from fear as the Russian proceeded towards them.

"S-Stay away!" Lovino pulled the trigger once again, another bullet embedding itself in Ivan's stomach. Ivan didn't even flinch though as he took a few more steps towards Lovino before stopping a few steps away from the bed, giving Lovino an icy glare which seemed to make the room temperature drastically drop. Ivan stood there, glaring at Lovino. He was hoping that the Italian would just give up and hand Antonio over, though it wasn't the case as he felt another bullet embed itself into his leg.

"So… that's your choice, da?" Ivan softly yet coldly commented rhetorically. However, before he could do anything, he felt another bullet lodge itself in his back, causing him to whirl around and see Alfred standing near the door with a smirk on his face.

"Ivan… you broke the rules," he commented, making Ivan raise a brow in confusion. Alfred showed the spot where he was shot, but there was no wound there at all. "I haven't been wounded yet and, therefore, you broke the rules. I'll be placing you under arrest now."

Ivan smirked himself before pulling out a pistol and pointing it at Lovino. "One step and I shoot him…" Alfred growled a bit at Ivan's cowardice, but was more concerned on why the Russian didn't seem to notice how much he was bleeding from his wounds. Four shots had been given to Ivan and he brushed it off as nothing more than a scratch. Lovino shook as he saw the rifle pointed at his head, though, at this point, he wouldn't _care_ if he had died. He had nothing left in the world anyways so what was the point?

"You damn coward…" Alfred sneered as he stood there, glaring at the Russian in front of him.

"I'll take Antonio and then I'll take hold of the top of the government after killing all of you," Ivan explained as he cocked the gun, ready to shoot Lovino. "Then everyone will see what _I've_ had to go through when it came to needing to be in the higher ranks." A dark aura seemed to slowly surround Ivan as he continued to talk. "Then I can see the looks on all your stupid faces when you finally see that you're _nothing_ compared to me…"

_Shit…_Alfred thought as he felt the temperature in the room drop again. _This isn't good… I have to do something or…_ He looked over at Lovino before sighing as he looked down.

"Ivan… you can take Antonio, but you _have_ to promise that you won't do anything else to innocent people…" Ivan's expression seemed to slowly return to the childish form it held before.

"Ah-ha~ I knew you'd see it my way Alfred~" the Russian commented. "That's why you're smart~" Ivan slowly put his gun away before advancing towards Lovino again, only to get another shot in the chest above his heart.

"Lovino!" Alfred yelled as he heard the shot. "Stop it! Just let him-"

"NO!" Lovino interrupted Alfred. "I won't… let him take him!" The tears were flowing down his face even more than before as he shook. "I won't let him take Antonio! He deserves a proper burial and nothing more! H…He shouldn't be taken… b-by anyone!" Alfred could hear how much Lovino was trying to stay strong from the power in his voice but is shook heavily as he continued to cry.

Ivan just stood there, staring at Lovino as the Italian tried to keep his love from being taken, causing the Russian to look down at the ground. Though this only lasted as few minutes before he grabbed Lovino by the throat, causing him to drop the gun. Lovino choked out a breath as he felt himself being pinned against the wall.

"Love is a trifle thing…" Ivan softly commented so only Lovino could hear. "You're a fool into thinking that would last forever…." Ivan tossed Lovino into the wall on the other side of the room before walking over to the Italian, pressing his foot into his stomach and making Lovino wheeze out.

"Ivan, stop!" Alfred commanded as he shot the Russian in the back once again. "You're not to hurt innocent people! Just take Antonio and leave!" However, Ivan didn't seem to like being talked to in such a way. He slightly turned towards Alfred, his icy glare now looking at him. Alfred didn't budge from his spot. He kept himself where he was so Lovino wouldn't get hurt any more than he already was. Though, he had no idea if Lovino had any broken bones or not.

"Don't get in my way Alfred," Ivan commented darkly as he released his foot from Lovino's stomach. "You're _just_ as foolish as he is when it comes to love."

"W-What…?" Alfred was confused by this. He didn't really understand what was so foolish about being in love with someone.

"Love is something that just vanishes when it is convenient…" Ivan pulled out his pistol again and pointed it at Alfred. "All of you are foolish for thinking that it is something worth fighting for or keeping dear to you. Alfred was silent, waiting for Ivan to continue talking and see if there was something more that the Russian was going to say. "Anyone who loves is foolish…" Ivan shot at Alfred who quickly dodged and ran out of the room, the Russian following and seeming to have forgotten about Lovino.

Alfred ran until he was back on land and spun around, firing several shots at Ivan as he did so. All but one of them missed Ivan. The bullet lodged into Ivan's other shoulder but, once again, Ivan acted as though nothing had even happened. Alfred turned back around and ran again, trying to keep him and Ivan at a good distance. The American knew that, if he let Ivan get close to him, it would be over with within seconds. Alfred continued to run until him and Ivan were in an enclosed cliff area, the only way out being the way they came or climbing to the top. However, the way they came soon became enclosed as well as rocks piled up on it to block it.

"It's just you and me now Ivan," Alfred commented bluntly as he cocked his gun. "This really will be a fight to the death now. The only person getting out of here is the person who is victorious or who has run out of ammo or weapons."

Ivan smirked as he pointed his gun at Alfred once again before his childish demeanor returned. "Ah-ha~ You're very interesting Alfred~ I like your thinking~" Ivan's darker side returned again as his finger twitched on the trigger. "Though you'll regret those words since you'll be dying."

"I don't think so…"

That's when it began. Bullets whizzed around the area as Ivan and Alfred shot at each other and dodged, though it was more of Alfred dodging than Ivan. Shot after shot after shot was fired, making almost impossible to try and avoid them. So many bullets were flying that it was hard to tell who had shot it and who didn't, but neither of them cared. Each of them were determined to win against the other one and see the other dead. Soon, though, both of them were out of ammo. The two stood across from each other, bleeding from their wounds that they received. Ivan's old wounds had crusted with dry blood but his new wounds were adding to him losing more blood than he already had. Alfred was bleeding from all his fresh wounds. His shoulders were bleeding, one of his legs, and several places on his stomach were bleeding as well. Each person was breathing heavier than before. The two stood there, staring at each other before Alfred pulled out his sword while Ivan pulled out a dagger he found in his jacket pocket. The Russian knew that Natalya was the one who put it in there since she was the only one of them that carried such a weapon, though he was grateful for it at the moment.

"That's all you have?" Alfred asked with a slight snort. He found it funny that Ivan didn't have anything more than that to protect himself with.

"Da~" Ivan replied with his childish exterior. "But it's more than enough to beat you with~" Ivan's voice brimmed with confidence as he said this, making Alfred feel only slightly uncomfortable with it. Just knowing that Ivan could still stand up perfectly straight with all the wounds he had was scary enough without the added confidence to it.

_Why do I get a bad feeling?_ Alfred asked himself in thought as he held his sword at the ready, waiting for Ivan to make the first move though the Russian just stood where he was smiling that childish smile of his. It was enough to make _anyone_ nervous.

Alfred made a slow movement to the side as he continued to stare at Ivan. The Russian didn't move, even when Alfred was a foot away from him. Alfred knew that Ivan was waiting for him to drop his guard so he could attack. He wouldn't though. Alfred would keep his guard up as much as possible. He stood there before quickly looking around, but that was a false move. Within that split second, however, Ivan attacked the American, causing him to quickly raise his sword in defense and slightly gasping from the fast movement. It was more of a reflex than actually seeing the movement though. Ivan laughed softly as he slammed his left foot into Alfred's stomach, right where he was wounded.

"Gah!" Alfred gasped as he slid back a few feet before dropping to his knees as he clenched his stomach in pain.

"Ah-ha…~" Ivan chimed with a dark laugh as he started walking towards Alfred. "So weak Alfred…" The Russian stopped in front of the coughing American, grabbing said man by his blonde hair and pulling him up by it until Alfred was inches from his own face. "You're nothing compared to me. You're a weak human being…"

Ivan kicked Alfred in the stomach once again, sending him flying into the side of the cliff. Alfred grunted as he shakily got to a knee, throwing a dagger at Ivan. It didn't get very far before Ivan blocked it with the dagger that he held. The Russian walked over to Alfred again, grabbing him by his hair again.

"Very weak…" Ivan commented again, pulling roughly on Alfred's hair. The American cringed before smirking, looking up at Ivan with glassy eyes.

"I may be, but at least I think before I act…" Ivan's eyes narrowed as he heard Alfred's statement, but choked out some blood. He stood there before looking down at the warm spot on his chest. The crimson blood soaked through his clothes, revealing the spot where he was stabbed. Right in the heart. Alfred's sword had penetrated his heart without him realizing it.

Ivan coughed up blood as he released Alfred's hair and crumpled to the ground on his side. Alfred panted as he tore his sword out of Ivan's chest, sweeping it downwards and splattering the blood onto the ground before sheathing it again.

"I….It's…. done…." Alfred heavily panted as he slowly positioned himself on the cliff before he started scaling the cliff side. His vision was fading in and out as he continued to cliff, his breathing becoming even heavier. He was tired, bleeding, and now he was wearing himself out more with climbing. He didn't know how long he would be able to last. As his hand touched the top of the cliff, he felt himself slip before feeling his hands being grabbed. Alfred looked up to see who it was, but he was so dizzy that it only caused him to pass out.

"Gottverdammt!" Gilbert cursed through clenched teeth as he struggled to lift Alfred back onto the top of the cliff. "Why the hell… is he so… heavy!"

"Do not ask me… m-mon ami…." Francis replied through clenched teeth as well as he struggled as well. The two struggled for a few minutes before they were able to pull Alfred up. They collapsed on the backs, breathing heavily.

"Gott… he needs to lose a few pounds…"

"Oui…" After a few minutes, Gilbert and Francis stood back up. Gilbert walked to the cliff edge and peered down into the area, looking down to make sure that Ivan was dead. From where he was standing, he could see that the Russian was dead. However, he learned never to trust with just his sight alone, though it seemed that this time was real. Ivan wasn't moving at all or even attempting to try to get up. A pool of crimson surrounded the Russian's body, soaking into his clothes.

Gilbert sighed with relief. "Seems like he's dead…." He commented as he walked over to Francis. "Doesn't seem like he's going to get back up…"

"That's good…" Francis sighed with relief as well. "We should get Alfred back to the ship so he can get bandaged up." Gilbert nodded in agreement as he and Francis picked the American up and started heading back towards the ship.

The minute they got there, a medical team came up and immediately brought Alfred to his quarters and started patching him up. That's when Francis turned his attention towards Lovino who was being treated by a medical officer. The Italian had a few scratches and bruises on his body because of Ivan, but it wasn't anything serious. Lovino was lucky not to have broken any bones. The Frenchman sighed as he walked over to Lovino and knelt down next to him.

"How are you feeling?" Francis asked the Italian who slightly looked away from him, remaining silent. Francis softly sighed as he placed a gentle hand on top of soft, auburn locks. "We'll take Antonio back to where he lived and bury him properly, alright?" Lovino slightly nodded as he kept his gaze from the Frenchman.

Francis didn't blame Lovino for not wanting to talk. He could see the finger bruises on Lovino's neck where Ivan had grabbed him by. Francis knew if probably hurt the Italian to talk at the moment. Francis stood up and nodded to Gilbert before the two made orders to head back to Azucena, the place where Antonio lived with his step-father. The place where Feliciano and Ludwig lived and almost died. The place filled with so many different memories that it would probably be hard to go back to a place such as that.

Now, finally, everything could go back to the peaceful ways that they were at before. The final and last thing to do. Bury Antonio for something he wanted to protect, or rather _someone_ he wanted to protect. That would be the last thing that would have to be done before _all_ of this would truly be over with.

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><p><strong>AN: I'm going to go cry in a hole from how sad this is and that it is almost done... TT^TT**

**Longest Fanfiction I have ever done and it's almost done... makes me so, SO sad!**

**Yes, Alfred is still alive! ^^; Tricked all of ya, didn't I?**


	26. Chapter 26

It had been a few days before they actually made it back to Azucena. No one had really talked to each other throughout that time. Francis and Gilbert greeted each other once in a while as they commanded the ship, but nothing more. Alfred was still in his quarters recovering and would, once in a while, ask Lovino to come in and see how the Italian was doing. Of course, he didn't get much out of Lovino. The Italian just wanted to be left alone to process everything that had happened within the last few months. It had been almost a year since everything had been happening. Lovino couldn't really believe that it had been almost a year. He wanted to remember the happier times before everything happened, but it was hard for him. However, there was a memory that had been so fogged up that, when he remembered it, it just tore him up even more.

0-0-0

_Lovino was around 10 years old. He had been sick and was bedridden in the hospital for several days because of it. His little brother wasn't allowed to come see him since his parents didn't want him getting sick as well. However, the one person who came to see him every day was a tall young boy who looked to be about 12 or 13 years old. Lovino had recognized him from the playground igloo._

"_How are you feeling Lovi~?" he asked as he walked over to the bed as the Italian looked over at him._

"_F-Fine… I-I guess…" Lovino murmured in reply. It was, now, that his memories had become clear enough for him to recognize the face. It was Antonio._

"_That's good~ I heard you got the chicken poxes, so I can to check on you again today~"_

"_O-Oh…" Lovino slightly pulled the blanket over his face, which only made Antonio softly laugh at the gesture._

0-0-0

Lovino wished he had never realized that he had known Antonio way back then. It hurt him more than anything to know that he had forgotten who the boy was in those dreams of old memories. He really wished that he would've remembered a long time ago that he knew Antonio. He had supported the Spaniard a bit in their childhood, hoping Antonio would be a great pirate in the government. It really hurt him to know that he had forgotten his face. He didn't know _why_ he had forgotten, but he did. Why was it now of all times that he would remember what that boy's face looked like?

Lovino felt tears fill his eyes again as he remembered that again. He didn't want to remember old times when he was younger. He didn't want to realize who that really was. He just wished everything would go back to normal. He wished that Antonio was still alive. He wished that _everything_ would just go back to how it was so many months ago when Antonio first found him. All those 'I love you's just seemed to empty when he remember them in his head. He wanted to hear Antonio's voice again. He wanted to be loved by the Spaniard again. To be kissed by him and have sweet nothings be whispered into his ears again by the same Spaniard again. It wouldn't happen though, he knew that much. Antonio was dead and would never come back to him again.

"Lovino…" Gilbert softly said as he walked up to the Italian. "We're here…"

"Si… I know…" Lovino softly said as he continued to sit on the crates that he was on, staring out at the ocean before him.

"We're going to get everything ready… so come out sometime soon, ja?" Lovino just slightly nodded before Gilbert walked off. The Italian just wanted to stay there for a while longer. He wanted to remember the beautiful, glimmering ocean that he had seen so much when he was traveling with Antonio to keep away from Arthur. How much he wished Antonio was standing there with him, looking at the view with him.

"…fratello…?" a familiar voice reached Lovino's ears, making his eyes widen as he spun towards the voice. Sure enough, there Feliciano was, standing there with a saddened expression on his face. The younger Italian felt so bad for his brother that he couldn't be his normal, cheerful self at the moment.

"F…Feliciano….?" Lovino asked softly with confusion. He couldn't believe that Feliciano was still alive. After hearing that recording, he thought that he was dead. Feliciano said nothing as he walked over to Lovino and hugged him. His brother had just gotten away from that place and found someone to love, and now all of that was taken from him. Feliciano really _couldn't_ say anything, even if he wanted to.

Lovino hugged his brother back, burying his face into his shoulder. The tears that had been welling in his eyes were now flowing out of his eyes. He was sad yet relieved at the same time. Sad that Antonio was gone and relieved that his brother was still alive. Feliciano did his best to keep the tears in his own eyes from falling out. He wanted to be strong for his older brother at the moment and support him just like Lovino had always supposed him when they were younger. So much did he want his brother to be happy again, to have Antonio being the one that was comforting his brother instead of himself.

_Grandpa…_ Feliciano thought as he looked up slightly towards the sky. _If Antonio is there… please tell him to watch over fratello… He's hurting so much right now…_ Feliciano looked back down as he rubbed his brother's back to help Lovino from hiccupping. He knew that Lovino wasn't one to cry in front of someone, but he also felt like he was a bit closer to his brother with this. Though, he wondered, how long would Lovino have to suffer from all of this? The younger Italian _really_ didn't know, but he hoped that it would be too long. He _really_ hoped it wouldn't.

0-0-0

People stood there as the grave slowly began to be filled. Shovels pushing the dirt back into it at a steady pace. Lovino stood closer to the grave than anyone else. He knew that he needed to say good-bye to Antonio properly if he was going to get through this pain he had in his heart. Feliciano was clinging to Ludwig a little ways away from where Lovino was and Gilbert was standing on the other side of his brother. Francis was standing a bit off to the side next to Alfred who was hanging off of the Frenchman for balance. Only a few of the crew members were behind them, but all of them were looking at the grave. Pain crossed all of their faces before the dirt was slightly smoothed out and the grave stone could be seen well.

It read:

'_Here lies Antonio Fernandez Carriedo,_

_Brave pirate who fought for the right things._

_A great friend and lover._

_Died at age 23'_

Everyone stood there for awhile, staring at the grave. Then, one by one, the crowd faded until only Lovino, Ludwig, and Feliciano remained. Francis and Gilbert went to help Alfred get back to where he needed to be. Lovino walked up to the grave, kneeling down near the tombstone.

"Antonio…." Lovino softly said as he touched the tombstone. "…I'm sorry I wasn't anymore help… I'm so sorry…." Lovino started to cry again as he set his head down on the tombstone. "I'm s-such an i-idiot….. I should've done something m-more…." If he had, Antonio wouldn't have ended up like this.

"Ludwig… l-let's go home…" Feliciano softly said, knowing his brother wanted to be left alone right now. Ludwig nodded as he took Feliciano's hand. "S-See you l-later fratello…." With that, the two left and leaving Lovino by himself. The older Italian didn't say anything as he continued to cry. It really did hurt him to know that Antonio was dead.

Lovino sniffled and coughed a bit before moving some of the dirt and setting the one item he held close to him into the small hole. The necklace that Antonio had given him a while ago. It was a small, red pendant on string. He loved it a lot since Antonio gave it to him, but he wanted to give it the Spaniard again. He felt this was one way to let himself feel at ease with all of this. The Italian then took out the ring that Antonio gave him, placing it on his ring finger and gently kissing it.

_My heart will always belong to you, Antonio…_ Lovino thought as he slowly stood up. He started heading back towards Ludwig's house, wanting his brother to help comfort him a bit. His brother was all he had left now and he wanted to learn about his brother and who he was now. It was all over now. All of it was over. He could live life the way he wanted to know. With one last look at the grave, Lovino vanished from sight. Forever he would keep Antonio in his heart. Forever and ever and ever he would.

Lovino would never love anyone else for as long as he lived. That was what the Italian felt anyways. Antonio was his first and, now, only love he could actually love. Through childhood and not even adulthood could change his mind, no matter _who_ tried to convince him other wise.


	27. Chapter 27: Final

'_**It has been three years since all of that happened. Even though he wasn't known well, he was still the best person I could have ever loved. When I think about all of this now, I feel like I could have done something more to help him. The way he always saved me, the way he cared enough to continue defying the government… I loved him more than anything in this world.**_

_**Trying to get all the accounts from those times were hard since, it seemed, no one wanted to talk about them, but they were nice enough to tell me anyways. Were people always like this? I don't know. I've never known anyone other than him to be nice to me about something.**_

_**Even as I write this, I feel like I have no regrets. Nothing. I would think that I would with everything that happened, but I don't. It's strange how much someone can change you, isn't it? Right now, though, I can't think of a reason why I should still be around. I know there is my brother, but he seems happy to just be with that German he's always hanging around with… alright, so they're happily married but still!**_

_**I guess… the only regret I would have is that I won't be able to see my adopted niece and nephew that the Feliciano and his husband, Ludwig – damn bastard – are bringing over today. I've seen pictures of them and they seem nice enough, but I won't actually be able to meet them. Sad how some things turn out when you least expect them to.**_

_**Now I'm going to give just a few thoughts of some of the people who I've seen and gotten to known a little bit through all of this…**_

_**Gilbert Beilschmidt – I still don't like him but he isn't as bad as I had once thought that he was. He's actually more skillful than I had last thought, though he's still thinking that he's "awesome." What kind of delusion as been placed on him? He's not really that awesome. Or at least not as much as he think that he is. He's just a nicer person than I had thought is all.**_

_**Francis Bonnefoy – Probably the last person I want write about, but… anyways, there's not really much for me to say about him. Sure, he did help me out a lot when I needed it, but he's still the most perverted person I'll know. Seriously, he's tried three times to convince me to hook up with him since the incident. Taught him a lesson, that's for sure… He's still a pretty decent person… if you get pass that perverted exterior of his… **_

_**Alfred F. Jones – After he placed Arthur Kirkland in prison, he took up the position of the head of the government. Things have been running smoothly since then and, even if he's extremely annoying, he's not that bad of a guy. He's helped me since that incident. Paid off the house I'm living in, paid for everything, and even gives me some money to spend on my own. I feel a little weird accepting it, but he wouldn't take no for an answer so I was forced to comply.**_

_**Matthew Williams – I still find it kind of weird that he's Alfred's twin brother. I mean, seriously, they don't even have the same last name! What's up with that! Anyways, he's a nice guy though he seems a little too quiet most of the time or he doesn't want to speak his opinion about things. Though, I wouldn't blame him if I had an annoying brother like Alfred. He took up the position his brother once had and, hopefully, he'll never have to do anything like Alfred did.**_

_**Ludwig Beilschmidt – I still don't like him. Why? Don't ask because I still haven't figured out the reason myself. There's just something about him I don't like and I hated him more when he made my little brother cry last year. Don't really have anything else to say about him.**_

_**Arthur Kirkland – the deranged pirate who was only out for revenge. Apparently something between him and Antonio happened in the past that he was out for a pitiful revenge. He wanted to find any excuse that he could to frame Antonio and send him to jail himself. Wonder if the result he got was the one he wanted or not. HE seemed satisfied enough with his death. He'll be placed in a mental ward within the next year or two though. But, it also seems that he and Alfred had a relationship before Arthur became the top of the government. It was no wonder Alfred had a hard time with all of this.**_

_**Kiku Honda – though I only met him a few times since he was a blacksmith of swords, he was kind enough to give me Antonio's sword back. The one that his real father had made for him. He's about the only person I would get along with well since he seems to listen and wait for the right time to talk. I'm grateful to him for giving me Antonio's sword back so I could place it on his grave. I wonder if we could have become friends?**_

_**Ivan Braginski – He was killed when he tried to help Arthur from getting captured.. According to records, he was trying to win Arthur's favor and, eventually, over take him. It was weird, even with every shot wound he got he still seemed to be able to move. It was like he was a zombie or something like that. I wonder why, but no one actually knows the reason. It was just scary. He was, eventually, shot down and killed in the fight with Alfred in a canyon area. It was probably a good thing though.**_

_**Natalya – Ivan's younger sister. She… went missing. No one knows exactly where she went but people say that she killed herself when she found out Ivan was dead. She seemed like a psycho path to me from the brief moment I had seen her. Though, no one knows for sure if she's really dead or not since she had disappeared during the battle on the sea.**_

_**Emma – Though I only knew her for about a month, she was really nice to me. She took care of me when Antonio was doing other things and she seemed to like me as a mother would a child. It was kind of nice to be able to take to someone like that without being judged a lot for what I was saying, though some of the stuff I told her made her want to hug me and try to comfort me. Apparently she had a brother as well, though I never met him.**_

_**Feliciano Vargas – As for my brother, well… he seems happy with being with that German bastard that he married and is adopting children with. I'm happy for him at least… He's still my little brother though. I wonder how he'll feel when I'm gone?**_

_**As for myself… well… I guess I could say that I was doing alright. Without realizing it, I had contracted a disease that shortens my life span because of my weak immune system. So much is unknown, though something tells me my time is almost gone. As I write this in the last pages of this journal, I realize that life should be spent to the fullest. Never letting anything get in your way, go for what you really want, and only do something if you really enjoy it. Those are the three things I've learned besides going after the one you love. If you don't do the things you want, then you can never accomplish anything.**_

_**Even now, as I write these words, I realized that I can't live without the one I love. I can't forget those emerald green eyes looking at me with passionate, loving gazes. I miss those sweet kisses that were placed on my rough and slightly cracked lips and slightly tanned skin. I miss all those nights when I could actually sleep well because he held me in a warm embrace. I even miss the lullabies that he would since to me to help me sleep when I was kept awake because of my insomnia. I realized now that I can't live with out him. I can't live without my…**_

_**Guardian Angel**__**'**_

- Last Journal Entry by Lovino Vargas

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><p>AN: It's... OVER! **dies** I'm really sad that this is over! TT^TT Longest Fanfiction EVER!

I hoped you all enjoyed and thank you ALL for the wonderful support through this! X3

**gives everyone goody-bags for support**

Hope all of you will continue to support me through my fanfics and other things~ X3


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